Silver Archer
by Midnight Wine
Summary: all mixed up. A lot about haldir. some elrohir, glorfindel, legolas. completed, in spite of serious confusion. (and slash, by the way).
1. Unwanted Stress

Disclaimer : Characters and locations belong to J.R.R. Tolkien  
  
Ratings : G, might be PG. I'm writing non-naughty (hopefully).  
  
Warnings : A little, little *slash* warning, this time from the beginning.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------~*~------- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Silver Archer  
  
'Hey you there ! Haldir, are you sleeping ? Now, move it, we got to get this ready, lord elrond predicted rain.'  
  
I'm opening my eyes. Elrohir and elladan are standing in front of me, hands on the hips, looking disapproving and obviously waiting for an apology. No way. I'm not apologizing to those teenelfs ! That's below a lorién archer like me.  
  
'Now get your rear-end moving or lord elrond will have to have a serious little talk with you ,'says elladan with the air of someone who has me to do his bidding.  
  
I guess, I just had a crumb in my ear! Might that have been a ~threat~? HE is threatening ME? Yeah, I'm quivering with fear. The evil lord elrond would probably throw poor haldir out and make him go back to lorién. That would be a ~real~ tragedy, because I like rivendell ~so~ much. Well, but I don't want any stress right now, so I decide to cooperate. But before I can show a sign of relenting, elladan is talking again. You see, he loves to hear himself talk, that jerk.  
  
'You are never doing anything. You are just lazy all the time even though there'd be enough work to do .'  
  
'Stop nitpicking, ankle-biter. I'm going to help you ~now~ and that is pretty much as good as it gets, believe me.'  
  
'Don't insult me or .', starts Elladan. Well, hold it here and gimme three guesses to figure out what he wants to leave as an option to insulting him.  
  
He'll beat me up ? Nah, unlikely, that weak little maggot would break his bones trying to hit me. He'll tell everyone that I own some lacy underwear ? Probably that, too, but not right now.  
  
'. you go and tell lord elrond that I'm mean to you, little elladan ?'  
  
He flushes in a nice shade of magenta. I should consider getting dressrobe in that color. Wow.  
  
'Yes, I will have to report lord elrond about your unacceptable behavior.'  
  
'I'm laughing later.'  
  
Elladan stares at me. Okay, I didn't want any stress, now I definitely got some in store for me. Hallelujah. Elrohir is quiet and seems very interested in the bugs crawling on the floor.  
  
'Ah, shut up, haldir and just help us to carry those wood-stacks to stables.'  
  
He walks away, looking haughtily, at least until I snatch him by the ear and pull not too gently.  
  
'Don't be cheeky, elladan. You forget who you are talking to.' I make this sound sickening superior and elladan gets the message, or at least pretends to. I let go of his ear that is now the only part of him that shines magenta.  
  
I'm walking through the gardens to pick up one of the wood-stacks in the grass, leaving elladan behind like a small school-elf who'd been yelled at in a very humiliating way . I'm feeling great. I don't know, it may be my sadistic vein, but I always feel high after giving someone a dressing down and so I do now. When I turn around looking at both of elronds sons, elladan is white with fury and clenches his fists, but it looks like elrohir is trying to hide a smile.  
  
When I meet elladan in the stables the next time he is telling me : 'You'll be chucked out of here for this one, believe me.'  
  
Well, of course, I'm laughing at this, but I'm not laughing anymore when I'm summoned to lord elronds study by an elf that looks as though somebody has died. Oh, this is going to be so great. 


	2. Sentenced CriminoElf

------------------------------------------------------------------~*~------- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
'You see, haldir, you were just behaving in an inappropriate way today ,' says lord elrond gravely. 'I know myself that elladan might not be the most charming person around but you got to him respect, just because he is my son.'  
  
Hm? Did somebody say something ? I'm waking out of a deep stupor in a chair in front of elrond's frightening lawyer-like desk. Did he talk to me ? Freak, did he probably ask something ? Bloody hell, if he wouldn't have summarized my whole days-schedule up to now I wouldn't have started thinking about some ~naughty~ things I'd like to try with someone in the future and I'd know now what this is all about.  
  
'I fully understand ,' I say, hoping it might pass as an answer.  
  
'Good. But I still have to sentence you to some kind of compensation. Just to remind you not to offend my son again.'  
  
Sorry, WHAT ? I must have dozed off, you can't be talking about me ! Hey, hey, it wasn't that bad ! I'm not a crimino-elf who needs to be sentenced ! To what, anyway ? Prison ? Torture ? Public beheading ? Eew, I'm feeling all woozy.  
  
'You're going to teach Elladan and Elrohir your knowledge of archery .'  
  
No way! Listen, big boss, no. I can't, I just can't be left alone with the two maggots wriggling about and around me all the time asking dumb questions until my brain oozes out my ears! My nerves are like french silk, you can't strain 'em.  
  
'Did you hear me ?'  
  
I notice that my mouth hangs open and my eyes became all glazed in shock.  
  
'Yes . yes, I did. But . couldn't you think of something else. Pretty please ?'  
  
'No. It has to be a punishment in the end. Even though I can't find something bad about spending some quality time with my sons.'  
  
'No, of course, there's nothing bad, I'm just so clumsy when dealing with kids.'  
  
Please, please, tell me, you don't want your sons in the hands of a clumsy kid-hating impatient maniac-archer from lorién! There's gotta be something else! Teaching them all ~I~ know will take a long, long time ! Well, I don't have to admit that I know more than everybody knows I know. So it might be only three weeks, a month. But a month with elladan .? On the other hand , with elrohir ? I could imagine spending some quality time with ~him~ . *wicked smile* (Note here : This is PG-rated, I am thinking of playing a nice board-game together.) And I know that he's elrond's favorite kid. What a sweet revenge on elrond for this humiliating punishment it would be if I'd seduce . uh, tempt elrohir to play some chess.  
  
'Oh, well. Then, how about helping with the horses ?'  
  
'No, no. I just reconsidered the matter. I would feel very honored to teach your sons the art of archery.'  
  
Stunned silence. I didn't talk in a polite manner for a thousand years, I guess.  
  
'All right, then. You can start tomorrow morning, at sunrise in the gardens. This would be all. You may leave.'  
  
Thank you. But SUNRISE ??? I'm not a morning person and who can guarantee that I won't just kill elladan if he jerks about ? Another problem, I don't ~look~ good in the early morning hours, because I'm a night-owl. I am going to have shades under my eyes darker than any darkness in moria. Oh god!  
  
The dinner in the evening is not as pleasant as usual, because elladan keeps glaring at me. Obviously my punishment doesn't suit him which makes me feel a lot better about it. I get to show off with my knowledge in front of him and he's gonna be the dumb little student. Still, it's a punishment and I'm gonna get lord elrond for that one. Problem is, elrohir will not just give in to me. It's told all around rivendell that he's cold as ice and just as unrelenting as that. Great. Trying the sappy-tour on elladan? No way, I've got my pride.  
  
So , what do I do now? I don't know, I suppose I'll just wait and see, probably it turns out fine. (Dream on.) Well, at least I will have to get out some really spiffing robes (mine are usually nice, but everybody is already used to that.) and look my best. (I do always look pretty good, but you know. If you don't, read the note above.) Okay, I'm not good at hair, skin and make-up matters, so I guess, it's time to walk by arwens beauty-parlor. 


	3. Stab My Vanity

---------------------------------------------------------------------~*----- ---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The way from elronds study to arwens beauty-parlor is not far, because elrond, like me, is not good at hair, skin & make-up matters. Today there are only a few teenelves in the parlor who have their nails cut and varnished. Arwen personally takes care of my case.  
  
'Well, haldir, I know that you always thought a lot about looks and fashion, but a beauty-parlor is usually meant for women.'  
  
'Lord elrond is here nearly every day !'  
  
'Okay, he's the lord of rivendell and adding to that my father. I can't say no !'  
  
'And legolas ?'  
  
'Oh, right then. What do you want ?'  
  
'Everything that will add to making me look my best.'  
  
'You are not in a hurry, right ?'  
  
What is that ? An insult ? It can't take that long to make ME look my best !  
  
'Uh, yes. I have a lot of free time.'  
  
Arwen ushers me into a dentists-like seat and looks at me.  
  
'I guess, we better start with your hair. The ends are all frizzy, they definitely need a cut.'  
  
'Are you nuts ? You can't cut my hair !'  
  
'Just the frizzy ends, don't panic. - Anyway, why do you suddenly need to look your best ?'  
  
Right, it's embarrassing how I got to be the archery-teacher of elladan and elrohir, but I tell arwen about it. Sooner or later she'd anyway be told by lord elrond or, worse, elladan. Arwen is laughing about the fact that I was sentenced to be a teacher. Yeah, really funny, rely on arwen for some psychical support.  
  
'Well, that's all cheering me up but I still don't understand why you need to look your best so desperately.'  
  
'I want to get back on lord elrond.'  
  
'What ? With looking better than him ? I don't think he'll be impressed. He's not ~that~ vain !'  
  
'Do you wanna tell me, I'm usually not looking better than he does ?'  
  
'Uh, well, haldir . you know . I don't really . you are not really ~that~ . I mean no offence, but .'  
  
'Right. RIGHT! I didn't ask. I don't really wanna know.'  
  
Oh my god. I'm feeling all mushy. That means, I overestimated myself all the time ! And that means that lord elrond-guy, old as methuselah and so ugly that his mom put a bag over his head to kiss him goodnight is looking better than I do!!! Bleech, I feel so weak and suddenly it's night around me.  
  
'Haldir ? Haldir !!! Will you wake up !'  
  
'Whassamadder ? What happened ?'  
  
'You were out cold for a few minutes . you tell me what happened !'  
  
You gave my vanity the death-stab, that's what, you silly cow !  
  
'I don't know. Probably didn't drink something for a long time.'  
  
'Oh, okay then. I'll get you something and then we'll start on your hair.'  
  
Fine, I'm not beautiful, probably not even handsome. Is that a reason for a sensible person like me to jump from a bridge ? Definitely, yes. Where is the next highway ? I need a save bridge. If I jump and I am still alive after I hit the ground, for some strange reason, I'd be run over and be dead for sure.  
  
Arwen is coming back with a glass of something that smells like tea. Then the beauty-torture begins. But as I learned not too long ago, it's not even worth it, because I'm UGLY !!! Oh, oh, oh, it's darkening around me. This revelation killed my ego and resurrected my teenage fainting-fits. I drink some tea. It doesn't make me feel better, but I'm not feeling like I gotta faint every second.  
  
Hours and hours pass in the parlor, while arwen is improving the looks of my hair, hands, nails and face. I'm not saying my looks, because there is nothing to improve, all is lost. Buuaahh !  
  
'Okay, I'm done. Stand up and check if you like it in the mirror over there !'  
  
Of course I like what I see. In my eyes I'm still good looking. Really good. Looking. I must have some sense-deceiving thing, because I can't find a fault in my appearance. Probably my eyes have mercy on me and spare me the sight of my ugliness.  
  
'Fine. Thank you.'  
  
'You still didn't tell me why you wanna look your best.'  
  
'Oh, I thought of something to get back on elrond, but I don't think I'll still do it.'  
  
'Why not ?'  
  
'Because I'm ugly.'  
  
'No, you are not. That's not what I said. I mean, beauty lies in the eye of the .'  
  
'Yeah, thank you, stop it. You're not helping me at all !'  
  
'You wanna get one of his sons smitten by you, don't you ?'  
  
'Hell no. . Wait, yes, that's what I thought of. How do you know ?'  
  
'Why should you wanna look good tomorrow morning ? There's gonna be no one except you and them.'  
  
'Hm. Would you help me along. I'm also bad in clothing-stuff.'  
  
Arwen smiles mischievously. 'Sure, I'll help you. That elrond got me grounded for 6 month because I stained his favorite robe. You can count on me. I'll be there tomorrow morning before sunrise .!'  
  
With those words she turns around and greets the next customer with a flashy smile. Okay, it seems to work kind of good, before it has begun. Just the 'elrond- looks-better-than-me-thing' will need a while to sink in. 


	4. Getting Started

---------------------------------------------------------------------~*~---- -----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The next morning, I'm am woken by arwen who bursts in my room followed by lord glorfindel. I pull the blankets over mt head. I slept only four hours.  
  
'Rise and shine ,' calls arwen.  
  
'Not now ,' I sigh.  
  
'Yes, now ,' I hear glorfindel's cheerful voice. He steals my balnket and I curl up on my cold bed, very fetus-like. I don't wanna get up. Just let me sleep, five minutes !  
  
But no. glorfindel is not prepared to take my whining and half-carries me to the bathroom where he puts me into the shower. The water is cold. Oh great. Against all odds, it's not even waking me up properly.  
  
'Glorfindel, I'll kill you if I get my hands on you !'  
  
I hear laughter in the direction of my bedroom. Glorfindel and arwen obviously planned to have fun with a non-moring-person like me. Could it be better ? I'm just finished with brushing my teeth under the ice cold water, when somebody comes rushing into the rrom. 'Now, come on, you are in a hurry, my love ,' says glorfindel in a sickening sweet voice. He pulls the shower-curtain aside.  
  
'Hey ! Don't do that !'  
  
'Nice sight , everytime,' smiles glorfindel and hand me a towel.  
  
'Nothing you haven't seen before.' How true, there are few people to withstand glorfindel and I was only a foolish little elf when I gave in to him. Good thing, I don't regret it.  
  
'You changed over the centuries. You might not have noticed, but I have.'  
  
'You were keeping an eye on me, hm ?'  
  
'I keep my eyes on all the pretty elves I like, my friend.'  
  
'Like legolas ?'  
  
He smiles dreamily. 'Just like him.'  
  
'Oh, you have the hots for legolas ? He hates you anyway. You could rather bend stone or break a thread than make him love you.'  
  
'I know .' Deep sigh. 'Well, but this is not about me. We got to make our haldir-elf pretty !' He shoves me back into the bedroom and I stand waiting, looking like a drowned rat, while they are going through my clothes.  
  
'This one is it ,' announces arwen finally and holds wine-red robes with blue and silver embroidered sleeves out for me to approve. I nod and yawn. One robe is as good as the other, so why not this one. I force arwen and glorfindel out of the room while I'm dressing or they would insist on deciding which underwear I should choose.  
  
After the dressing-part glorfindel braids my hair and arwen is putting some stuff on my face, where I don't even know what it's for. Most likely for hiding the black shades under my eyes. I doze off while they are working.  
  
'Finished. Whatcha thinking ? I'm good at that hair-braiding, don't you think ?'  
  
Hm? Oh, yes, he is. But I already know that. Like I told you, glorfindel is a former 'aquintance' of mine.  
  
'Yeah, it looks pretty nice.'  
  
'Now, go on, down to the hall for breakfast for two reasons. Reason one, having breakfast, reason two, checking your effect.'  
  
Glorfindel and arwen drag me out of the room and down the stairs. After a while I found energy to make myself walk. But I'm still so tired that I can't keep my head up and black dots are dancing quick-step in front of my eyes. Yawn. Stretch. We reached the hall.  
  
Quite a few elves turn their heads when I walk by. Is that haldir who does normally wear those shabby archer-robes? Yeah, dear friends, it must be me, because nobody else around here has hair quite as shining silver as mine. Golden, Red-golden, auburn, choclate, ebony, but I'm pretty much the only one around here with a silver mane.  
  
We sit down for breakfast and very soon aragorn and legolas come to join us. Aragorn tells us about the preperations he made for arwens and his wedding in three weeks and I feel like I had lead in my head.  
  
After I fell asleep in my chair arwen wakes me with a nudge in the ribs. Ouch !  
  
'It's sunrise, you gotta go.'  
  
Oh no. I'm practically asleep, how can I teach anyone anything right now ? Okay, now, legs, carry me out into the garden where elladan and elrohir hang around and I'll take a nap up here! No ? Right, I'm sighing and heaving myself out of the chair. It works, yes I'm walking into the gardens.  
  
The mist ist still lingering on the floor and feels pleasant cold on my ankles. The sky is clouded and pale blue, somewhere behind them the sun is shining. Elladan and elrohir are waiting with the faces like they are waiting for their execution. They are f**king maggots, ain't that the truth. So I have no choice but go and fight the losing battle . 


	5. Closing In

----------------------------------------------------------------------~*~--- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
'Morning, guys ,' I say.  
  
'Morning, Haldir ,' says elrohir. Wow ! At least something. He noticed that I arrived.  
  
Elladan says nothing but I didn't really expect that. He has pressed his lips to a thin line and sulks, like an overgrown teenager. Even though I use to call them 'the kids' that doesn't mean that they still are too young to serve my plans. I'm just so used to say 'the kids' because I'm talking with elrond a lot more than with them and he, of course, uses 'kids' for his sons.  
  
'So, let's get this started, before our lesson is over, don't you think?'  
  
'How long do we have to stay with ~you~ ?', asks elladan disgusted. 'A whole hour ?'  
  
'If you go on like that the whole day !', I reply. Don't let him get the feeling that I will take crap from him .  
  
'This is not punishment. You should be fired out of here !', he whines on.  
  
'Go and complain to lord elrond and not to me ! I'm just trying to give a lesson !'  
  
Right. I'm getting started. It doesn't go as bad as I imagined. Elrohir is a good archer, at least that's my first impression. Elladan is too impatient and too careless and shoots continiously trees and shrubbery around him. Once he is really aiming at ME and I have to snatch the arrow right out of the air. I'm not saying anything, I just throw the arrow over my shoulder with a poker-face expression and go on talking about my subject. Dumb kid.  
  
'Haldir ?', asks elrohir suddenly and I turn to him.  
  
'Hm ? Did you ask something ?'  
  
'After I put the arrow to the string and let go, the whole bow jerks up and I shoot the arrow into the sky. Why is that?'  
  
'Because you are so tense. If you relax the bow stays steady and you'll hit the target .'  
  
He tries and the arrow vanishes through the low hanging clouds. What an excellent opportunity to close in on my plan.  
  
'Put the arrow to the string ,' I command and stand right behind him, holding his left wrist.  
  
'Now, relax the left arm, I'm holding it .'  
  
Oh yes, it's working out good. 'Now, let go.' Swoosh, and the arrow is straight in the middle of the target. Didn't I know it, this guy is a natural?  
  
'Very well. Easy, isn't it?'  
  
'It's easy while you are holding my arm. Can I try again ?'  
  
'Okay.' Of course. I just notice lord elrond is watching us from the balcony of his study. The closer the contact, the better. And the arrow hits the target so close to the first one, that this one nearly splits it. Lord elrond nods approvingly even though he can't see I'm watching him.  
  
'You really got it. You could go to lorién and join the archers I led for a while.'  
  
A nearly invisible tinge of pink is creeping into his cheeks. 'Really ?'  
  
'Really really.'  
  
His brother is still trying hard to hit the target and his bow is steady, but his aim is just too poor. How can I explain that to elrond ? He'd deny having a son with an aim as lousy as this.  
  
'How's it going, elladan ?'  
  
'Fine . At least I don't have to stand in your embrace to hold my bow steady ,' he retorts and throws a nasty look at elrohir, who blushes in a deeper shade of pink now.  
  
'At least he hits the target while I am ~embracing~ him. You wouldn't hit a target within a distance of three meters.'  
  
Now both of the twins have blushed, one pink one crimson and I'm feeling good again. I nearly yelled at him and he's certainly embarrassed.  
  
'Well, guys, I guess, this should do for today. 'Class' dismissed. Swoosh, snatch. Another arrow right aiming right between my eyes.  
  
'Elladan !', I scream in rage.  
  
'It wasn't me !'  
  
I look at elrohir. He blushes even more furiously. 'I - I am sorry. I thought you - you'd catch it anyway .'  
  
'Yeah, well, I did. But please stop to abuse me as a target.'  
  
'Yes, Haldir ,' mumbles elrohir, 'You wish', answers elladan.  
  
'Right, now just go and go on somebody else's nerves.'  
  
Both of them put their bows down and leave the garden. God, what a successful lesson. It makes me feel good, very appreciated, if people aim their arrows right between my eyes. But probably . he might just have wanted some attention. Right. 


	6. Realizations And A Fling

Okay, I guess, here goes the PG-rating. I changed it to PG-13, just in case.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------~*~----- -----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The sun shines on my closed eyes. 'Mmm .' I stretch on the bench in the gardens where I fell asleep after the archery-lesson. It's warm and I don't want to open my eyes. I'm just languishing around on the bench like a cat in the summer-like sun.  
  
Suddenly I hear a noise like breaking twigs and my eyes flutter open. Elrohir is standing nearby leant against a tree and watches me. At first he doesn't even notice that I opened my eyes, obviously because he is daydreaming. I consider him until he will see it. The dark hair on the pale skin and the grey eyes under a fringe of long black lashes . I definitely wouldn't say no to some 'quality time' with him !  
  
'Haldir ! You are awake !', he splutters when he finally notices.  
  
'Mmm .', I stretch luxuriously again, before sitting up. Elrohir hurries over and sits down next to me.  
  
'I - I, you know, I didn't wanna spy on you or something. I just came here to say I'm sorry for trying to shoot you, but you were asleep. And I thought, I'd just be waiting a while if you'd be waking. - So, now that you are awake : I'm sorry for trying to shoot you, really. I wasn't thinking about it.'  
  
'It's okay. Happens all the time that somebody wants to shoot me. That's the risk if you're archer .'  
  
'No, really. I brought you something .'  
  
I reaches down into a leather bag he is carrying around and shows nearly ten arrows to me. Beautiful arrows. Slim, faultless wood with carvings all over, shining, sharp heads and feathers in all colours of the rainbow on their tails.  
  
'I made them for you.'  
  
'Hell no! Those are nearly too beautiful to shoot an orc with them ! You keep them and have them for the lessons, then we can at least admire them.'  
  
'You don't want them? But I want you to have them. Otherwise I go and break them.'  
  
'Well, in that case. If you really want me to shoot orcs with those beauties.'  
  
'It's all right if they just save your life !' He looks right at me with those light gray eyes and smiles.  
  
What ? Wait a second ! He is trying on me ? It should be the other way around ! But, okay. Obviously it's working better if he has the feeling to conquer me . so let it be.  
  
'Well, my life is of no value for you. Elladan and you wanted me to be chucked out of here even though you know I have nowhere to go.'  
  
'I didn't. It was elladans fault that they wanted you out of rivendell. They already prepared to make you leave, force you if you refused .'  
  
'But . but then . why am I still here ?' Sudden realization in my eyes and a smile from elrohir. 'You . you helped me ? But why ?'  
  
'I don't know. I just didn't want you leaving. You belong here .'  
  
Oh, right. He makes me stay here, he gives me the come hither smiles : I'm the victim here ! Oh my god. Well, lord elrond won't care which way around we were hitting on eachother, the fact that we could be together will knock him of his elven-feet.  
  
'. and you are to beautiful to be killed by orcs somewhere out there .'  
  
An embarrassed smile, he gets up and runs away. I'm smiling as well. So I am beautiful in his eyes. Well, well, well, what do you know.  
  
I decide to go and ask arwen for advice. Because it's time for lunch, practically everybody will be in the halls. And, of course, glorfindel, aragorn and arwen are sitting at the table in the halls, munching some elven-food.  
  
'Haldir ! What was it like ?', asks glorfindel curiously when I sit down next to him.  
  
I start telling the story and arwen smiles.  
  
'What ?'  
  
'Oh nothing.'  
  
'WHAT ???'  
  
'Well, so you just figured it out yourself. That he won't give in to anything unless he wants you anyway. And then he is the hunter and you are the prey, my dear haldir. So, take or leave it.'  
  
'So, he likes me ?'  
  
'Seems so,' said glorfindel.  
  
'Hey, you're not jealous, are you ?'  
  
'You'd give in to me everytime I wanted you to.' He wears cute smile and flutters his golden lashes. 'Don't you think so?'  
  
'Right.' Would I ? He's beautiful, really gorgeous and the day was a disaster, I'd deserve some relaxation. I watch him, the shining golden hair in long non-braided ripples falling over his midnight blue robes and those pretty dark eyes . Would I ?  
  
Before I can say or do anything he slips his arms around my waist and kisses me rather passionately. And worst of all, I'm kissing him back. My, my, I have no pride at all. And I'm feeling dizzy . hmm, of course, I knew before that I like glorfindel's sweet lips on mine. Not because I love him, but because he's a natural as far as kissing is concerned. And other non-PG rated things, too. I feel a hot bloodrush all through my body. Couldn't we just be alone for a while, in his room or mine .? Well, but only few people know about this. That nobody would withstand him, does not mean that he's taking those chances. Otherwise, he would probably be the 'most-wanted-as-my-partner'-elf of middle earth.  
  
'Right ?'  
  
'You jerk. What do you want me to do ? Surrender to you right here ?'  
  
'I warned you. You could have agreed. Now I had to prove my point .'  
  
Another chaste kiss. Arwen smiles.  
  
'Hey, think about legolas and elrohir, guys. What if they see this ?'  
  
'We're friends.' Arwen arches an eyebrow and I add : 'Close friends, then.'  
  
'Well, looks like you'll get your revenge then. Even if it's not the way you thought .'  
  
Yeah, but I still want the night with glorfindel. The thing with elrohir will still take a while and glorfindel and I do already share some pleasant memories.  
  
'Okay, I got to go, there's still some work to be done .', I say and wink at glorfindel. Of course I would. Let's go.  
  
'You say it. Lord elrond expects the daily report of what's going on around here ,' he lies and leaves with me. I don't care about talking him on the way to his room and I got my hands under his shirt before we can open the door.  
  
'Hey, hey, not out here,' he smiles. 'And I didn't really think you'd give in again. - Great that you do, though.'  
  
I push him into the room and slam the door shut. He finds himself pressed to the wall, my hands still roaming around under his clothes.  
  
'Shut up and kiss me, what do think ?'  
  
He smiles. 'You want me bad, hm ?'  
  
Damn skippy I want him! But at least he's doing my bidding and kisses me while gently opening the win-red robe and leaving it to fall to the floor. God, I'm going to be tired tomorrow .! 


	7. Oversleeping & Dating

-------------------------------------------------------------------~*~------ ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
I'm oozing out of bed. I'm a bit sluggish this morning, because the little incident with glorfindel drained most of the energy that was left in me. Well, I guess it was worth it.  
  
Oh my god, is my first thought when I'm facing my reflection. My eyes are shadowed pitch-black and my hair is standing on and like silver wire. And the sun is setting. Now I really gotta run. I run to the bathroom and back, put on the robes I find on the floor and set of at breakneck speed to reach the garden as quick as possible.  
  
Elladan and elrohir are already waiting and so is lord elrond. Bloody hell, what is he doing here at this time in the morning ? Without is obligatory visit in the beauty-parlor, obviously. God, he looks better than me?  
  
'Haldir, good morning.'There's really someone dead. You can't get that expression only because of wanting to kill the archery-teacher.  
  
' 'Morning ,' I say stifling a yawn.  
  
'I see, you are already neglecting your duty as a teacher.'  
  
'I'm sorry, lord elrond. It won't happen again.' I taped this sentence a long, long time ago and it's gushing out my mouth automatically every time I'm late.  
  
'I hope so. And the next time you show up here, dress in your own robes, please .'  
  
I look down. I'm wearing glorfindel's f**king 'I'm-an-important-person'- uniform. Is this embarrassing ? Yes, yes, YES, I hope for the floor to open up and swallow me but nothing happens.  
  
'Yes, sir.' I'm blushing for the first time in a half millenium. All that starts well, ends well. If this starts like it begun, please tell me now, so I can be the target in todays' archery lesson.  
  
'That would be all.' He has no other sentence to dismiss faulty little elves like me. It sounds so 'lord-of-you' like.  
  
'Thank you. Let's start todays' lesson, boys.'  
  
'Oh, yes, did I mention it? I'm going to monitor this lesson to see that you are doing proper work ,' he says with that jerky grin of his spreading wider than ever.  
  
'If you think that it's necessary, my lord, I'll be pleased with you watching.'  
  
'Monitoring.'  
  
'Whatever. Let's get to it.'  
  
The lesson is not good. Elladan is working hard to show that I'm a sub- standard archer who is not capable of teaching knowledge to other people, or willingly refuses to. I feel very much like shooting him but while lord elrond is around that is not an option. Elrohir tries the simple opposite and asks questions he knows I can answer and make it sound good. In the end of the lesson, we and up shooting the target again and elrohirs arrows, again, soar way up to the sky, not because he's tense but because he makes them. I'm walking over, standing behind him, holding his wrist.  
  
'What are you doing ?'  
  
'Do you love him ?'  
  
'Do I love who ?'  
  
'Glorfindel.' He looks around and his flickering eyes meet mine.  
  
'A long, long time ago I did. But we're merely good friends now.'  
  
'I saw you. Yesterday, in the corridor to his room.' He puts an arrow to the string, lets go and hits the target.  
  
'And ?' Oh holy sh*t ! It was a good advice that I just didn't take . arwen asked what would happen if he saw us.  
  
'You looked in love .'  
  
'We're not. If we were, why shouldn't I tell you ? It was a bad day and I thought I deserved some fun.'  
  
'It's nothing serious ?' Another arrow.  
  
'No. We're friends , that's all.'  
  
'Hm.'  
  
'Do you think, you can handle the bow alone or do you still need my ~embrace~ to hit the target ?'  
  
'I would prefer it.'  
  
'Really ?' Woo, we're getting somewhere. He's shifting from one foot to the other, just like someone who is on the brink to ask a question which might embarrass him.  
  
'Really really.You know, I was wondering if you . oh no . nothing .?'  
  
'If I'd what ? Come on .'  
  
'No.'  
  
'Pretty please ?' I flutter my eyelashes glorfindel-style. But the effect is not what I hoped it would be.  
  
'No.'  
  
'I'm not going to wait till kingdom come. It's now or never.'  
  
'Oh, well. I was wondering if you wouldn't like to get some horses after this lesson and just ride somewhere for the afternoon.'  
  
'Sure I'd like to. I just need to put something else on . and do something about those shades below my eyes.'  
  
'No. Put something else on but leave the shades. They're sexy.' He says without so much as looking at me.  
  
What ? I let go of his wrist, shocked. I didn't expect that compliment. Then he turns around, smiles at me and shoots his next arrow straight into the black eye of the target.  
  
'Thank you ,' I manage to say. 'Well, I still have the lesson to get over with.'  
  
'Don't worry .'  
  
He turns around and walks over to elladan. 'I'm so tired of this. My concentration is all gone. I'd like to do something fun, wouldn't you ?', he nearly-yells, so that lord elrond who is sitting under the trees, will hear it for sure.  
  
'Yeah, of course. Who asked for these dumb lessons, you or me ?'  
  
Lord elrond strides out of the shadows and stops facing me.  
  
'You heard it, the boys are bored. You will resume the lesson tomorrow morning.'  
  
'Yes, sir.'  
  
I practically run back to my room. Should this be a date ? Really ? Wow. My first date in what? 400 years ? If I exclude glorfindel, anyway. I'm not ~dating~ him.  
  
Which robes should I wear? My god, I'm just like arwen who hasn't anything to wear in front of a full-to-bursting wardrobe. Finally I close my eyes and choose my accident my favorite clothes, simple blue ones with just a hint of silver embroidered. I put them on and try to walk to the stables. This doesn't mean anything to me, does it ?  
  
When I reach my destination, elrohir is already waiting for me with his hazel-brown mare esteriél. I don't have an own horse because my faithful stallion was shot under me by orcs on the way to rivendell. Elrohir chose a silky white mare with a dark gray mane and big black eyes for me. She is pawing the ground impatiently waiting for me get a move on.  
  
'Well, haldir, let's see if you are as skilled on horse back as you are with your bow ,' elrohir says with a smile.  
  
'You bet .' Of course I am. I'm a natural in every kind of things. I just need to prove my point, I guess. 


	8. Panic & Comfort

Wait a second ! What was the theme of this story ? Haldir & Glorfindel ? Must have been, sorry guys. (Is it really so hard to find a sappy Glorfindel & Haldir story? - Yes, it sure is, because Glorfindel is not in the character list for the search. Damn it! So I have to write on request? Right.) Okay, I'm on the wrong end of the pool right now, so let's get back to where I should be .  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------~*~----- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The afternoon is really nice and elrohir keeps talking a lot while I just sit and listen. It seems to be really hard to be elronds kid. God, I'm happy that I'm just common-little haldir from lorién.  
  
On the way back it's getting pretty cold but elrohir doesn't seem to notice.  
  
'Sometimes it really is stress but you get a lot of privileges, you know.'  
  
Huh ? 'I see.'  
  
'Like archery lessons . for example .'  
  
'Well you asked for those.'  
  
'Because of you .'  
  
'I'm not the best teacher you could get.'  
  
'Yes, you are .'  
  
'What about legolas ?'  
  
'What about him ?'  
  
Well, I don't know, but stop talking about ~me~, you blockhead ! That makes me nervous and I don't take it as a compliment I take it as a clumsy attempt to get me . to do things.  
  
'He's better than I am and you know that !'  
  
'Yes, but he's not as beautiful as you are.'  
  
'Well, that's what you think.'  
  
How often did I hear the 'you are beautiful' in this century? Not too often, so this should mean something to me. But there was somebody else saying I was beautiful.'  
  
'You are in your world again. What are you thinking about ?'  
  
'Gl... ,' Glorfindel ? Hey, I'm going nuts, completely. I'm gonna tell him that that I think about glorfindel while we are out on a ride ? No way. And I am not even thinking about glorfindel. I don't even know why I said his name.  
  
Mm, hm, I'm good at pretending especially to hide my feelings from myself but this not one of those cases, trust me. And IF I was thinking bout glorfindel what would that prove ? We are friends and he has the hots for legolas anyway.  
  
--------------------~*~----------------------  
  
When your world has been shattered  
  
And nothin' else matters  
  
It ain't over  
  
It's only love  
  
And that's all  
  
--------------------~*~----------------------  
  
'No, I was thinking about some food because it's getting pretty late and all.'  
  
'We're not going back to rivendell tonight .'  
  
'What ? Why not ?' Oh, I suspect evil. This is not good.  
  
'Because I wanna be alone with you .'  
  
'But . but I still have some things to do tonight . I can't just stay away .'  
  
'Don't worry. I can get you out of all the trouble that could harm you in rivendell. You come with me.'  
  
'No, I can't. I want to go back !'  
  
'Hey don't panic. You'll like it. Even more than your fling with glorfindel .'  
  
'No !'  
  
'Yes !', he tries to snatch the reins of my horse but I back of.  
  
What the f**k is this ? Doesn't this guy take a subtle hint ? Do I really have to hit him over the head with my allusions of not-wanting-to-be-alone- with-him ? And why don't I want to be alone with him, anyway ? Wasn't that exactly what I was planning the last three days ? Yes, right, it ~was~. But I could still do join in this just for the hell of it, to have some fun. - No I can't, I just can't. Why not ? It worked out just fine with glorfindel, because I wasn't in love with elrohir, not even thought he was as good-looking as . other elves. And now ? I'm still not in love, am I ?  
  
--------------------~*~----------------------  
  
You keep lookin' back in desperation  
  
Over and over and over again  
  
--------------------~*~----------------------  
  
'I really have to go. I'm sorry .'  
  
I turn my horse and dash away in the direction of rivendell. I'm so confused. What was that ? And there's definitely something seriously not as it should be in 'my world'. I don't feel bad, not guilty about leaving elrohir behind in the darkness, it's rather a relief when the lights of rivendell come into sight. He is not following me, is he? I'm looking back like a hunted animal. Nothing, just darkness.  
  
I don't stop to chase the horse forward until I reach the stables. I practically fall of the horse and drag myself away from it to go to my room. A hot shower would be just be the right thing now. I'm feeling dizzy and like in a dream while I'm walking through the crowded halls of rivendell. Arwen and glorfindel come dashing through all the people shouting :'excuse me ,' all of the time.  
  
'Haldir, you look awful. What happened ?', asks arwen with a worried look on her face.  
  
I try to keep a stiff upper lip but when I try to answer tears splash down from my eyes and I start sobbing. Both, glorfindel and arwen look shocked and the next thing I know is that I'm lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. Glorfindel is lying next to me, his arms out around me.  
  
I sob again and new tears well up in my eyes. I rest my head on glorfindel's shoulder and he's stroking my back, whispering words I can't even take in anymore. Why the heck am I panicking like this when somebody just make the suggestion that we could spend the night together? I. don't. know.  
  
'Where is arwen ?', I manage to ask between huge sobs.  
  
'She's talking to lord elrond. About you, she won't be back until tomorrow. But what happened out there ? elladan said, you and elrohir were going for a ride in the forest.'  
  
I don't even want to think of it. It's so . weird.  
  
'Whatever it is you can tell me .'  
  
'I can't .'  
  
'He didn't touch you .!?!?! I'm going to kill him .'  
  
'No, no. He didn't.' I look up and see that this upsets glorfindel just as much as me. Because he cares about me . of course he does.  
  
'Tell me. It'll help, trust me .'  
  
'It was nothing really,' but still I start to tell him what happened. '.. And I said I don't want to go. He retorted I would like, more even than with you .' A violent crying fir grabs me at this point and I can hardly speak. 'He tried to snatch my reins but I just bolted .'  
  
'He's going to pay for that .'  
  
'What ?'  
  
'What do you think ? I'll give him leave to try to rape you ?'  
  
'That's not what he did. He was just a little anxious.'  
  
'A little anxious ? What do think he'd have done if he ~had~ gotten hold of those reins ?'  
  
'I - I don't know .'  
  
'I do. And wouldn't stand a change against him. You may be older but you are the weaker, the fragile one. I mean look at you .'  
  
'Yes, I know.'  
  
'Promise me, you'll never go near him again .'  
  
'Are you nuts ? I don't even want to stay in rivendell !'  
  
'Really ? You'll leave ?' His voice sounds sad while he asks.  
  
'I really can't. I got nowhere I could go. I don't have anyone to help me .'  
  
'You got me .'  
  
'You'd help me .'  
  
'Of course I will. You know I l. that I'll be there for you, don't you ?'  
  
'I wasn't so sure for a while. You have been around legolas a lot in the last time.'  
  
'I had a crush on him if it's that what you want to hear .'  
  
'You had ?' This topic is calming me down. It has nothing threatening to talk about love in my room.  
  
'Mm. I said so. It was a crush I wasn't in love.'  
  
'When's the last time you've been in love ?'  
  
Glorfindel smiles dreamily. 'A long, long time ago. But I remember it better than anything in my life .'  
  
'You'd tell me something about it?'  
  
'You're so curious .' But he isn't angry, the tone of voice is rather loving.  
  
'Please ?' I flutter my eyelids so that they brush over glorfindel's neck like the wings of a butterfly.  
  
He moans, still smiling. 'Hey, don't do that. Okay, okay, I'll tell you something. What do you want to know ?'  
  
'Great. A long long time ago you were always in some war, I remember that. I was, too, but not all the time. I can't really remember in which war you could have been back then.'  
  
'Mm.'  
  
'So you met him there, anyway ?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'What was he then ? Warrior ? Commander ? Archer ? Of your own people or of the enemies ?'  
  
'One of the archers under my command.'  
  
'Hey, don't be so boring. Tell me a bit more about it. A love story .'  
  
I shift my head so it lies on glorfindel's chest.  
  
'There's not much to tell. He was still pretty young. Really young even though nearly every elf is young compared to me. I loved him more than anything in this world.' he smiles weakly. 'I sometimes called him my silver archer and I guess we would have been inseperable but I had to follow rivendell's orders. I had to give him away because the archers were put under your command and left. I couldn't be so selfish and lose the war because I was in love. We just lost each other.'  
  
'You never found him again ?'  
  
'Yes I did.'  
  
'And ? You still love him ?'  
  
'Mm.'  
  
'What ?' I'm laughing. 'What mm. Yes or no ?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'But it's not legolas ?'  
  
'Legolas is not that old and he has never been to war even though he is an archer.'  
  
'Okay, how old would he be ? Not as old as you are ? Arwens age ? My age ? Older than me ?'  
  
'I'm not so sure. Probably about your age .'  
  
'He's here in rivendell ?'  
  
'Yes .'  
  
'Then why the hell don't you just go and tell him ?'  
  
Glorfindel turns his head away and stares out of the window. 'I can't.'  
  
'Why not ? He can't do more than say that there's nothing anymore between you and him .'  
  
'I wouldn't survive that. Now I can at least live in my dream world and pretend everything would be fine.'  
  
'Hey, is he one of your friends ?'  
  
'Yes. But not anymore if I told him .'  
  
'But you are still talking to him, are you ? How can you manage ?'  
  
'I don't think about it. Pretending that everything is right and that I'm a happy elf.'  
  
'And you are not ? Poor glorfindel. Can I do anything for you ?'  
  
I could do something for me, anyway. I feel poisoned. There is coldness surging through my veins and I know very well what that feeling is called. Jealousy. The worst jealousy I have ever experienced. But I can't just whine about that while he's so melancholic.  
  
'Not something I could ask of you .'  
  
'You can ask everything.'  
  
'No. Just forget it. Please, haldir.'  
  
That look in his eyes. Pained and tired all at once and I feel guilty for being jealous when he is obviously feeling so bad.  
  
'I'm sorry.'  
  
'Why that ?' glorfindel looks surprised  
  
'Because I was jealous .'  
  
'You were ?'  
  
'Yes. While you were telling this and I'm feeling really bad about it.'  
  
There is a strange light in his eyes, so suddenly, like a million sparks flying through them. I must be really tired.  
  
'That's okay. I know, sometimes you can't help it.'  
  
I'm quiet for a while. Still jealous. Because glorfindel is not mine. But if I don't love him ? Or do I love him? Still? After all this time and I never noticed ?  
  
---------------------~*~----------------------  
  
I know it ain't easy  
  
You're a part of me  
  
You're the wings on my heart  
  
Can't we give our love another try ?  
  
Can't we keep our broken dream alive ?  
  
Now more than ever  
  
With heaven on our side  
  
---------------------~*~----------------------  
  
'Glorfindel ?'  
  
'Hm ?'  
  
'As far as I know all the archers that were under my command back then have fallen in the war of the ring.'  
  
'You think so ?'  
  
'I'm pretty sure.'  
  
'Well, I'm not.'  
  
'Okay, probably there are still one or two that have survived. But I didn't see them around here.'  
  
'You are not going out enough.'  
  
'Mm. Maybe.'  
  
'You're tired, haldir. Just go to sleep.'  
  
'Glorfindel ?'  
  
'Hm ?'  
  
'Can you accompany me to the archery-lesson tomorrow. I guess . I don't dare to go alone.'  
  
'Of course.'  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
I can't sleep at once. I listen to glorfindel's heartbeat and think about the conversation. There is still that pinching jealousy deep down in me. Silver Archer. I know that name. It's like I should know who it refers to but forgot it. 


	9. Heartbreaker

The lyrics I used in the last chapter belonged to *Tina Turner & Bryan Adams - It's Only Love * Foreigner - With Heaven On Our Side Lyrics in this chapter *Jason Wade - You belong to me  
  
I guess it's getting sappier than this in the next chapter . but first things first : Chapter 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------~*~---- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The next morning is another sluggish one but I wake up with a start and I am wide awake. Glorfindel has fallen asleep beside me and lies on his side curled up like a cat. I noticed that odd sleeping habit before. As soon as he falls asleep he curls up to a ball and remains like that the whole night.  
  
I dreamed about the time in the war. I remember that I ~was~ under glorfindel's command once and that . well, I told you I was only a foolish little elf . that I had something like a very short relationship with him. But for him it was only one of the chances he took. I guess. So this stuff can't be about me. Only I was in love with him. I know that I was lying awake for hours and hours at night, just to think about him.  
  
Suddenly glorfindel stirs and the ball next to me uncurls itself. I would really like to know if he knows how weird he lies while sleeping.  
  
'Morning, love ,' he mumbles still half-asleep.  
  
'Morning .' Confusion. Love ? He must have been dreaming of someone else. 'Time to get up and leave.'  
  
'Mmmmm. I know.' Stretch. Curl. Stretch. His eyes open. This is so beautiful and cute to watch.  
  
'Promise you won't leave me there .'  
  
'Of course I don't leave you with that maniac guy. I'm watching over you, teeth and talons bared. You'll see.'  
  
'Okay then. Let's go.'  
  
We hurry. There's only time to have a very short breakfast before we go out into the gardens. It's a cold but sunny morning and a thin mist hangs in the air. Glorfindel slips his left arm around my waist while we are walking through the trees and wild flowers to find elladan and elrohir. It feels so right and I can't explain why.  
  
-----------------~*~--------------------  
  
Fly the ocean in a silver plane  
  
See the jungle when it's wet with rain  
  
Just remember till you're home again  
  
You belong to me  
  
-----------------~*~--------------------  
  
The twins are waiting on a bench, wearing nearly identical frowns.  
  
'Morning ,' I say just to let them know I'm there.  
  
'Morning .' What ? Did elladan just return my greetings ? This is getting really confusing.  
  
'Let's go, guys.'  
  
Elrohir glares at me. 'I'm not going to let you give archery lessons. I'll ask father to chuck out like he should have done from the beginning.'  
  
'Why would you ?'  
  
'Just because .'  
  
'Just because you're hurt and jealous ,' I say.  
  
'And if ! Why are you hanging around with glorfindel all the time? You don't love him, anyway ! You just want to see me beg !'  
  
'I don't want anything from you .' Don't panic. Don't think of last night. Don't look into glorfindel's eyes right now.  
  
You don't love him anyway. A sentence like a slap in the face.  
  
'You don't want anything from glorfindel and still you fool around with him !'  
  
Glorfindel turns around and I know he's weeping and my heart nearly breaks but he's not running away. Because he promised me he wouldn't.  
  
'How do you know ?'  
  
'Because you said you don't love him. I asked you.'  
  
'And if I would love him, would I have told you .'  
  
Silence. Glorfindel looks at me like he can't believe what he just heard.  
  
Elrohir is embarrassed and hurt and also desperate. 'If I can't have you then nobody shall have you !' he screams. Faster than the eye can see he puts an arrow to the string of his bow, ready to shoot . ~me~ when he suddenly yelps like a dog and sinks to the ground whimpering and his arrow misses me by meters.  
  
'Glorfindel ?'  
  
'No, I - I didn't do it ,' he sobs, wiping tears away.  
  
I look around. Elladan is standing right behind me looking very smug indeed.  
  
'Not such a lousy aim, hm ? Got precisely the left shoulder.' He smiles at me.  
  
'W - w - why ?'  
  
'Hey, we had a real bad start and you're not my favorite elf around but I don't wanna see you dead.'  
  
Lord elrond comes dashing out of the halls accompanied by five or six guards.  
  
'What happened here ??? Haldir I expect you to explain this !'  
  
Instead of me elladan steps forth. 'Elrohir tried to shoot him, father. I didn't see another way .'  
  
'YOU shot him ?'  
  
'Yes, sir .' He casts his eyes down.  
  
'Why would he want to shoot haldir. He asked for these lessons !'  
  
'Because of unreturned feeling, sir.'  
  
Elrond considers the matter a second. 'I see. Well, take him to a healer then and I will forget about all of this. Haldir, Glorfindel, you are free to leave.'  
  
'Thank you, sir.'  
  
Elrond leaves without looking at elrohir again who lies sobbing and whimpering in the blood stained grass.  
  
'Nice arrows you got there ,' says elladan. 'It's like they hit their target by themselves.'  
  
I look at the arrows I'm carrying today. Carved with colorful feathers. Elrohirs arrows.  
  
As long as they just save your life .  
  
'You can have them. I got more of these.'  
  
'Really ?'  
  
'Really really .'  
  
He smiles and takes the arrows without another question. 'You not such a bad guy, you know .'  
  
Then he turns around to take elrohir to the healer and leaves glorfindel and me alone. Glorfindel looks at me with his dark sad eyes. There is something wrong, seriously wrong, I can feel it.  
  
'You talked about me with that guy ?' Glorfindel looks about to faint and his eyes are slightly unfocused.  
  
'Yes. I'm sorry.'  
  
Glorfindel sinks down into the grass leaning against a linden tree. I sit down next to him.  
  
'Was it so wrong?'  
  
'No ,' he whispers. 'But the words he said wounded deeper than you could know.'  
  
'Why ? Glorfindel. What's wrong with you ?' I can feel panic coming up. I should run and get a healer. But why ? Elves do not become sick and he's not injured.  
  
'Nothing . It's not wrong. It's okay.' The answer is just a whisper. Like the wind in the trees. He is pale and it seems to me like he has lost all of his energy in this short time. Sighing he lies down in the grass and looks at the sky.  
  
'Glorfindel. Don't do that. You scare me.' I can't breathe. I can't watch him anymore .  
  
'Not for long.'  
  
'What do you mean ?'  
  
'Can't you see ? I'm growing weak .'  
  
'But why ? And why so fast ? Please, can I do anything for you ? Anything ?'  
  
'You know, there're only two possibilities for an elf to die . to be murdered or to get his heart broken .'  
  
'But I thought you were all right with not knowing it for sure .'  
  
'I know it now. And I told you I might not survive it. And I don't even want to survive it.'  
  
'No. No. Please, you can't just die. Don't leave me alone. Please.' I didn't notice but I started crying because I was so helpless. I'm looking at him in the grass and I begin to understand.  
  
'Would you give me a last kiss ?'  
  
'Glorfindel . no .'  
  
'It's been nearly 6000 years, haldir. If you are this old you will know that it's not hard to let go if there is nothing to live for in your life anymore.'  
  
My tears are falling on his neck when I bend over him and kiss him on the lips. I'm just sitting by his side for a long time while he looks at me, tears streaming down his cheeks. I play with the strands of his golden hair and hold his hands, pleading him to get up and go in with me but he's just shaking his head.  
  
'No, haldir. I'm fine here, just being with you .'  
  
'But I thought .', I trail off and the realization dawns on me.  
  
'You know why I was saying silver archer ?'  
  
'No ....' And I'm not sure that I want to know.  
  
'Because of your hair .'  
  
No. Please, this can't be.  
  
You don't love him anyway .  
  
This is my fault ? How could I be so blind as to ignore this ? All the archers fell in the ring-war, I ~knew~ that. It was only me left . I broke his heart and now he's going to . to die ?  
  
'It's my fault. It's my fault. I'm so sorry. I didn't want this ! Whay didn't you just tell me ?'  
  
'Doesn't matter anymore.'  
  
Glorfindel smiles weakly when he sees that I understand and then closes his eyes.  
  
'No !'  
  
I'm throwing my arms around him and start weeping harder than ever before. 'No, please don't leave me here.' I feel only a weak heartbeat fluttering against my wrist. 'You are breaking my heart, too, because I love you.'  
  
My head falls on his chest and if he won't get up anymore then I don't care if I'm going to die here as well. I'd rather die than be without him. It took me long enough to discover it but now I know. It's because I belong to him. 


	10. Sleep Of Broken Hearts

Right. RIGHT then. I'll just let 'em suffer a little while.  
  
If you have any request on what should happen next, feel free to mail me or express yourself in a review. You think that Glorfindel & Haldir should definitely remain a couple ?  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------~*~--- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It's dark. So dark that I can't even see silhouettes. I don't know where I am and I don't really want to know. My head hurts, too much stress I guess. So I'm not dead. I must be asleep or something, dreaming probably and thinking the same time. The state just remains the same for a long time. What about glorfindel ? I want to weep. Why is he not here ? And is he still alive ? It pierces me heart to think he's not. I don't want to wake up if he has . has died.  
  
I don't put up a struggle to fend off the sleep, heavy like lead, forcing my horrid thoughts to cease for a while. The next time I come to, I feel that somebody is holding my hand. Glorfindel ? Please ! Now I'm really making an effort to get rid of the unconsciousness feeling in my head and the whole body. Gradually it fades away and I can see the light shining through my eyelids. I want to scream glorfindel's name but my lips refuse to obey. They feel numb, like all of me, it feels like a corpse would be resurrected.  
  
'Haldir ? Wach auf, bitte. Ich kann dich nicht leiden sehen .' Hm ? That's not glorfindel's voice and I feel disappointment surge through me. I can't even understand the language the other elf is speaking. How I know that it is an elf holding my hand ? You just know it, from the voice, the feel of his fingertips on your skin and from a knowledge deep deep down that I can't even control willingly. But what did he say ?  
  
'Haldir, wake up.' Legolas. That little non-rivendellish accent that only and no one else than the mirkwood-elves have. 'Legolas .' Suddenly my lips express my thoughts even though I did not intend to.  
  
'Yes. Come on and wake up.'  
  
'I want to die .'  
  
'Don't you ,' whispers legolas. 'Don't you wanna know what happened to glorfindel before I leave you and you do that?'  
  
'Glorfindel ?' My eyes snap open. The light is blinding them but I keep them open, wide open to stare at legolas. 'He didn't die, did he ?'  
  
Legolas suddenly looks very serious. 'No. No, he didn't. But he's not truly alive anymore. I'm so sorry, haldir.'  
  
It's like blow in the face. I feel so numb again. Legolas pulls me into a sitting position and puts his arms around me. I know what he means with not being truly alive. Not the details, but something anyway. And it's worse than to be dead. I can't cry. This fact is beyond tears. It's like my soul has died and accepts the fate without a reaction. I claw my hands in legolas back and I feel that it's hurting him but he just grits his teeth.  
  
'You looked like you would be going into his state as well. All you need to survive is attention a lot of attention and physical contact to someone who is very close to you. I tried to keep both you and glorfindel but I just couldn't . And I couldn't find anyone else who'd do it, sitting in here for weeks, day and night. I . I just had to decide if it's him or you I want to see waking up again.'  
  
'Why didn't you choose him. It would've made me happier than being alive without him.'  
  
'You know he'd asked me why I didn't choose you when I had done the opposite of what I thought was right to do.'  
  
'Why me, then ? You were in love with him !'  
  
'Yes. And I still am. But I know that I'm never going to be with him. You've been in love for nearly a thousand years without even noticing it and now ? You noticed it and it's gonna be worse for me. - But the fact that made me do it was that glorfindel is, well, pretty old already and has experienced all there is to experience for an elf . but you didn't.'  
  
'And I'm not going to.'  
  
'I know. But I had to make you wake up. It was the least I could do.'  
  
'What is that sleep that glorfindel fell into exactly, legolas ?'  
  
I keep talking even though my heart is burning with pain and finally the tears fall free.  
  
Legolas strokes my back. 'Well, all I know is that they call it 'schlaf der gebrochenen herzen' in the regions where it first occured, 'sleep of the broken hearts'. Glorfindel first fainted, thinking that you don't love him . and then just slid on into that sleep, because he doesn't have the energy and the want to live but he's not going to die . because you must have said it once before. And you haven't denied it from then on.'  
  
'Denied what ?'  
  
'That you love him .'  
  
'No, of course I didn't deny it. I said it right before he . fainted.'  
  
'See, that's what keeps him alive. He's still immortal but he'll never wake up again.'  
  
'Never ?'  
  
'I think it's impossible. There were elf kept in that state for over 4000 years without so much as moving,' he says and then looking at me. 'I wish I could help you.'  
  
'Be with me for a while. I don't want to be alone.'  
  
'You don't want to die anymore ?'  
  
'Is that what glorfindel would've wanted ?'  
  
'No. No, he would want you to live on. Even if it's hard.'  
  
'It is.'  
  
'I'll try to help you.'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------~*~---- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The next weeks and month are the most terrible in my life. The first time I had to look at glorfindel I just fainted, because I couldn't take it.  
  
He's still so mesmerizing beautiful. Like he's just sleeping and is going to wake up every minute now to smile at me. It's horrid and hurts more than I can describe.  
  
I'm with him all the time. I'm sitting on the bedside all day and do whatever is necessary and sleep by his side every night, knowing that I'm the only one to rise from the sleep. Sometimes I'm reading to him all night because I can't sleep because of anguishing thoughts. Or because I'm thinking of the time we spend together. Every time I recall his lips on mine, his hands running through my hair, any loving gesture I just start to weep and my heart dies again.  
  
I'm not going out. Just for a quick lunch and things that are otherwise inevitable, but I never leave for long.  
  
Legolas is keeping me company in the long nights, when I can't find sleep and read stories of love to my lifeless glorfindel on his bed. Sometimes I fall asleep in legolas' arms, the book still open on my lap and in those moments I'm so happy that he's with me.  
It's just like this, years and years, I've lost the count. I became lonely and I'm afraid of all the other elves. Legolas is the only one in this world I allow to touch me and be close to me. He stayed through all those years, even though he wouldn't have had to be with me.  
  
On sundays I'm always sitting on the bed and brush glorfindel's long golden hair strands until they are falling in shiny ripples over the pillow. He started moving again, turns around in his sleep and sometimes, just sometimes he smiles and even though I'm feeling like crying in that moment I always kiss his lips gently and hope that wherever he is, he'll notice.  
  
Legolas is coming to visit me after he fulfilled the entire request that his work requires. He took up glorfindel's charges to stay in rivendell. Because being with his family in mirkwood all the time makes him sick, he says. I know that stays because of me.  
  
'Wonderful afternoon, isn't it, haldir, glorfindel ?' he says when he bursts through the door today. He talks to glorfindel sometimes and in the beginning I was jealous and it took me a long time to accept that glorfindel's reaction stayed indifferent most of the time. Now I'm okay with it.  
  
'Just as beautiful as any ,' I reply and look up from my work.  
  
'Don't you know what day today is, sweetheart ?', he asks, smiling.  
  
'No, I don't. Why ? What day is it ?' Sweetheart. He calls me that a long time already. A teasing name for me, a sign of affection.  
  
He sits down on the bedside and puts his arms around me. 'It's your brithday, you little fool. Have you forgotten all about it ?'  
  
'It is ?'  
  
'Yes. I got something for you.'  
  
'Really. You shouldn't have .'  
  
'Yes. I should. You know how much you matter to me.'  
  
'Don't say that.'  
  
'I know, to you only glorfindel matters and I'm fine with it. But I care about you even though I get nothing in return.'  
  
'It's not that I don't like you .'  
  
'It's fine, haldir. You don't have to say anything about that.'  
  
I cast my eyes down. I owe so much to this elf and I'm more than ashamed that I can't tell him that I care about him. And I do care about him. More than for any elf in this world, except glorfindel. And in a way I love him. Not like in *love* love but I couldn't ever imagine to be without him.  
  
'Come on, I'll show you what I got for you .'  
  
'How long does it take?'  
  
'Some time .'  
  
'How long exactly ?'  
  
'Does it really matter ?'  
  
I look at him waiting for me at the door so anxiously that his cheeks are flushed, then at glorfindel lying on the bed with no sign of life on him except his steady breath.  
  
Can I say no ?  
  
'Legolas, I don't know .'  
  
'Please. You haven't been out of here for half a century. Please come with me just this one time.'  
  
'Half a century ?'  
  
'Yes ,' legolas says sadly.  
  
Another gentle look at glorfindel.  
  
'Would you mind if I just leave for a little while, love ? I promise I'll be back by dusk.'  
  
He smiles. I can't believe it.  
  
'Th-thank you.' I kiss his lips and walk over to legolas who watched stunned.  
  
'He smiled ,' I explain. 'So I'll be going with you.'  
  
It's like going through the halls of rivendell for the first time. Everything looks so strange and all the elves are looking at me. Little elves are playing on the floor and they don't even know me. Legolas has put his arm around my waist as if to shelter me from all the looks.  
  
'Don't worry. They are just curious.'  
  
'I know. It feels weird.'  
  
'Shh. We're nearly at the stables.'  
  
'What ?'  
  
'You'll see .'  
  
Two white horses saddled and ready for a ride are waiting tethered outside the stables. It's just as strange to be on the fresh, warm air and so see for miles and miles without a wall in sight.  
  
'Let's go. It'll be great .'  
  
I feel torn. Of course I want to go and ride with legolas. But glorfindel is alone, all alone up in his room. Legolas sees it in my eyes.  
  
'If you really really want to you can go back now. This is more than you have done for years. And I won't force you to go with me.'  
  
I want to turn around and leave. Wait. Not really. Of course, I want to go back to glorfindel but after all that legolas did for me, is this asked too much in return.  
  
I timidly walk towards the horse that looks at me with quivering nostrils and suddenly, sensing my nervousness, rears. I jump back, stumble and legolas catches me in his arms.  
  
'You are afraid. After so long time you haven't even seen a horse .'  
  
'Yes. I'm sorry .'  
  
'It's okay. Wait and see.'  
  
He removes the saddle from his horse and mounts gracefully. Then he offers his hand to me.  
  
'What do you mean ?'  
  
'Don't worry. He can carry both of us.'  
  
Oh my god. I'm going to ride with him. No. yes . no . I close my eyes and reach out my hand. Legolas assists me with getting on the horse and places me safely behind him, where I can hold on.  
  
I couldn't remember what it was like to sit on a horse but suddenly it all comes flooding back to me. Legolas leads the horse away from rivendell and soon we are flying over the meadows and through the forests as if weightless. I'm clinging to legolas, watch the hills and tries go by and legolas' golden hair ripple in the wind.  
  
The sun is shining and there is no wind, just endless green landscape, still no walls to keep me and block the sight. I haven't felt so alive in years. It's like waking from a long long sleep.  
  
'And ? What do you say ?'  
  
'It's great ,' I whisper, not noticing that I'm actually crying. For the first time in fifty years I really mean : It's great. And not 'I couldn't care less.'  
  
'Love to hear that.'  
  
'Legolas ?'  
  
'Mm ?' It's burning on my mind I can't keep it back.  
  
'I really really care about you .'  
  
Legolas slows the horse down to a nice walk and looks at me over his shoulder. 'I know.'  
----------------------------------------------------------------------~*~--- ------------------------------------------------------------------ 


	11. Author's Note

---------------------------------------------------------------------~*~---- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Excuse me, for interrupting the story here, this is not a new chapter. (there's a new one uploaded today, too.)  
  
This is just some general information on what my brain worked out for me to do.  
  
FACT 1 is, I got some reviews and a lot of mails with so different advice on what to do (keep glorfindel & haldir together, bring legolas and haldir together and other suggestions, too) that I decided to split the ending. (Which according to the reviews has to be a happy one.) Don't know yet if it's going to be good, I'm so confused with all the stuff in the story already. I hope you're not getting as confused as I'm already when trying to find the right ending.  
  
Please, review what you think about it, even if it criticsm (constructive criticsm, of course)!  
  
FACT 2 is, obviously glorfindel has a lot of people to like him, so I just can't let him die, can I ? Certainly seems so.  
  
I guess both of the next chapters are going to be pretty sappy. (Containing a lot of 'I-love-you's, that is. Nothing too exciting .)  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------~*~---- ------------------------------------------------------------------ 


	12. Ending 1: Open Your Eyes

No niin, here we go again with this piece of chaos. This chapter for everybody who mailed or sent a review with the advice to let Haldir & Glorfindel be couple. Thanks for all kinds of advice.  
  
Everybody who doesn't think that Haldir & Glorfindel should be staying together, please skip this page. Thank You.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------~*~----- -----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
In the evening I'm sitting on Glorfindel's bedside again. I tell him about the mountains in the sunlight, the birds and butterflies in the soft grass of the meadows around rivendell and the white horse flying through it with legolas and me on its back.  
  
I can't stop talking about it, it was the first think to make my mind think about something else than my love lying on his bed, not able to ever return to this world. I'm lying with my head on his chest, listening to his slow breath. He can't even feel me lying there, he's never reacting, never touching me or turning his head in my direction. It is so sad but still too familiar to make me cry.  
  
Legolas has left to sign some papers in elrond's study. I'm all alone with glorfindel and looking at his pretty face, a peaceful expression is lingering on it as if having a pleasant dream. Sometimes he looks pained and cringes but he seems fine today. I noticed, that he is writhing and biting his lips when I'm sad as well and peaceful while I am happy. I don't know if that's only by accident or if I'm already starting to imagine things.  
  
All the next week I'm in a good mood because the ride out and away from all the sorrow in rivendell is still burnt into my mind as a fresh memory and all the week glorfindel is quiet and sometimes even smiling. More often than usually ? I really start to imagine things.  
  
Legolas is busy in the next weeks. Of course, he comes to check on me and glorfindel every day, but he's never staying for long. This fact makes me feel even lonelier and I know I'm sinking deeper into apathy every day. There is only glorfindel I can hold on to. He'll always be with me. Forever.  
  
That is not what I'm pondering about tonight. Glorfindel is lying by my side slowly breathing, I'm telling him about what I feel. Of course, that I love him. I love him more than my life but I also realize that this life can't go on like it was for all the years past. I can't just stay in this room for years and years, it's starting to drive me crazy by now. I'm running up and down the room like a panther in its cage, catching me starting out of the window longingly. But I can't leave glorfindel. My heart won't let me leave him.  
  
I'm snuggling up to him, lost for more words about my situation and waiting for some sleep to release me from thinking.  
  
'I wish you could just once give me a sign that you know that I'm with you. That I won't leave you alone,' I whisper, more to myself than to glorfindel. Somewhere deep down I know he doesn't listen.  
  
Suddenly he shivers. Is he trying to move ? But it can't be. His will can't control anything in this world anymore. I should have known that but still I'm disappointed. Probably he's cold. Again the shiver is running through him and a soft whimper escapes his lips. It's the first sound I heard from him in half a century. and it sounded a bit like my name.  
  
'It's okay. I'm with you.' I don't know what to do. Did he really hear what I said, to give me a sign, or is it just one of his violent dreams?  
  
I gently trace his jaw-line and kiss his forehead. He feels warm and alive but still, he shivers. More violently then ever. I'm feeling the panic rising in me and I can hardly breathe. He's not going to fall ill ? Another whimper follows and this time I know it. HE IS TRYING TO SAY MY NAME ! It sounded a bit ragged, because his breath is fast from all the effort he is making, but there was no mistaking it. My heart starts fluttering like a caught butterfly trying to escape and I'm starting to cry. He knows that I'm still with him.  
  
'Glorfindel, yes . don't worry. I'll always be there for you .'  
  
I flinch when he suddenly arches up. 'Haldir .' it sounds like a prayer and it sounds perfect . I'm sobbing like mad in a state of complete bliss. He knows. He knows! He knew all the time that I'm here .!  
  
'My love .' the words come easily from his lips now as though talking in his sleep.  
  
I'm so close to collapse with the happiness inside me. And I'm really fainting out of pure joy in the moment glorfindel turns around, sighing, and slips his arms around my waist.  
  
It takes only a few minutes to wake up again. He's still snuggled up against me and I don't dare to move. I don't want him to ever let go again.  
  
In that moment legolas opens the door. He's followed by elladan and elrohir who both look startled at the sight of me.  
  
'Haldir ! Everything all right ? What happened ? Why are you crying ?' Legolas rushes to the bedside and I'm afraid that he might scare glorfindel and make him change his position but nothing happens. Glorfindel accepts legolas sitting next to us and sighs contently.  
  
'Hey, don't tell me that he moved himself into this position !'  
  
I look at legolas with shining eyes. 'Yes. And he said my name. He said my name.' I repeat the sentence over and over again and the words are hard to distinguish from all the frantic sobs.  
  
Elladan and Elrohir both stand next to the bed, looking as though they don't know what to do or say.  
  
It takes long until I'm calmed down enough to talk in an understandable fashion. Legolas explains to the twins why this is such a great experience for me.  
  
'Well, that doesn't mean that he's going to wake up does it ?, asks elladan skeptically.  
  
'Of course it doesn't. But it means he knows that I'm here. I asked him if he could give me a sign that he knows I'm here with him and then he just tried to say my name and . he did it!'  
  
'And don't spoil this for him, elladan, okay ?' Legolas suddenly looks stern.  
  
'What will you give me if I'm peaceful and nice ?'  
  
A flash in legolas eyes. 'Anything you want.'  
  
'Anything ? Mm. Okay. I guess that's a bargain.' He smiles cutely at legolas and I understand. Legolas really had a lot of work in the past few weeks. A lot of raven-haired work with radiant blue-grey eyes and skin just as soft and white as a lily.  
  
'You could have told me, legolas .'  
  
'Huh ? About what ?'  
  
'About you both. Don't you think I deserve to know what is happening to my friends.'  
  
'You are too curious ,' elladan says but he smiles.  
  
'You stole my best friend away from me ,' I say with the air of being very offended.  
  
Elladan is pouting. 'No, I didn't. He came running into my open arms. You had the chance long enough, don't you think ?'  
  
'What do you mean ?' Is there something I didn't get here ?  
  
'You didn't even notice that I had quite a crush on you ?', legolas asks, fighting back laughter.  
  
'N-no. You never told me.'  
  
'Of course I didn't. But there where enough allusions in what I said, trust me. You just didn't notice because this sweet sleeping elf stole your heart, hm ?'  
  
'Must be so ,' laughs elladan. 'Look at his surprised face.'  
  
I feel stupid. Unbelievable happy, but stupid. Everybody knew except me. And I didn't really have so much to watch over all the time. I should have noticed legolas feelings. In the other hand, what good would that have done to him ? I'm in love with glorfindel and I don't think ~anyone~ can alter that fact.  
  
'Now, don't tease him ,' whispers legolas to elladan.  
  
'Give me a kiss and I won't .'  
  
Legolas smiles and kisses elladan gently and elladan takes only seconds to slip his tongue between legolas lips.  
  
'Uhm, hey guys, don't you think you should go to some other place if you can't control yourself.' Elrohir looks slightly embarrassed by legolas' and elladan's behaviour.  
  
'No, don't worry, it's okay ,' I say. It is something to at least watch what I wish so badly to do with glorfindel.  
  
'I get that all the time. They just can't restrain themselves.' He smiles.  
  
'Well, long ago I was young, too and I still know how a bad crush feels like.'  
  
'Really ?'  
  
'Really really.'  
  
'Would you forgive me then, what I did to you when we were out riding ?'  
  
That was a real long time ago. 'You had a crush on me, too ?'  
  
'I guess, every elf in rivendell had a crush on you some time. I know that even father was rather attracted by you a while ago.'  
  
'Oh my god. Well, anyway, I'll forgive you. Is there no one, you'd have a crush on right now ?'  
  
Elrohir blushes until he glows like the setting sun.  
  
'Oh, I see. You'd tell me ?' Gossiping suddenly feels important. It's so nice to talk to somebody else than legolas.  
  
'You wouldn't know. I'll show you some day.'  
  
'I'll remind you to do that.'  
  
'Fine. But I never see you in the halls. So I can't.'  
  
'I'll be there, I promise.'  
  
A mischievous grin spreads over all of elrohir's face. 'Do you think you could talk some good stuff about me ? It's a former guardian of lorién.'  
  
'No, really ? Well, as it can't be me, anymore, I guess I can encourage that mysterious someone to some free-time-spending with you. Quality time, you know.'  
  
'Thank you. And don't worry, this time it's not you.'  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------~*~--- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The next morning I'm going down to the halls for breakfast and elrohir sits right next to me, waiting to point out the desired elf as he walks in.  
  
'Why are you eating here today ?', he asks me, still observing the entrance.  
  
'Felt like it. I feel much better since yesterday, anyway.'  
  
'You look much better than the last time I saw you. It was when you were riding with legolas. You looked so sick. But you look fine now, beautiful as on the first day I saw you.'  
  
'Thanks. Now, where is that elf of yours ?'  
  
'Just wait. There, you see ?'  
  
'Don't tell me it's the guy in that dark red tunic .'  
  
'Why not ? Yes, it is.'  
  
I just start laughing. Elrohir looks at me in shock, no doubt wondering if I've gone nuts. That elf that he fancies is the only elf I've ever seen, except me, of course, with long silver hair . And anyway, he could be my look-alike.  
  
'Do we learn something here ? Elves always fall for the same type of guy/girl,' I say teasingly.  
  
'Shut up. He's just as beautiful as you. And he didn't reject me. Not yet.'  
  
'I'll see to it and he most probably won't.'  
The next week are so much better than the years before. Still, I spend a lot of time with glorfindel, but I walk down in the gardens sometimes, just for a while, or get my horse out of the stables. I didn't know that I actually own a horse but there was one stand with a big sign 'haldir of lorién' and a magnificient horse in it. So either the twins or legolas had seen to lord elrond giving me a horse.  
  
It is great to just race through the meadows or ride through the forests at a nice walk to discover secret springs, streams and waterfalls with a horse that seemed to obey in every situation.  
  
I feel that glorfindel was more active as well. He speaks in his sleep, and tosses and turns a lot so that I decide to sleep in my own room, tired of him hitting and lying on me. It is strange to sleep alone and stretch and roll over as much as I wanted to.  
  
In the morning when I check on glorfindel he is lying sprawled over the whole length and width of the bed, slightly snoring and smiling contently. When I come into the room, his eyes suddenly flutter open and my heart nearly stopped beating. His wonderful dark eyes are still glazed with unconsciousness elven-sleep but they were ~open~!  
  
In that moment a crazy idea comes to my mind. Crazy, yes, but I couldn't resist at least trying to let it come true. I get glorfindel out of bed and start to put him into a presentable state. Well, he also is presentable like this, but everybody would just fall in love with my sleeping beauty.  
  
It takes some time all the washing, combing, braiding, dressing but after that he looked all his gorgeous self again.  
  
'What do you think ?', I ask when I finished the last golden braid in front of the mirror.  
  
'Beautiful .', he whispers though I don't know if as an answer.  
  
'I'll say. More beautiful then anything .'  
  
He can't walk alone, so I carry him through the halls of rivendell, careful looking out for people who could stop us but nobody is in my way.  
  
Of course, I'm on the way to the stables. I'm going to take him out of that prison in rivendell, just for once. I know, I'm not supposed to move him, not more than necessary but this time I can't resist. He's so far already. He's moving, speaking, his eyes have opened, why the hell shouldn't he just wake up ?  
  
The stables are empty. It must still be pretty early with so few elves around here. I get out my horse and only bridle it. It's easy to get glorfindel up on its back because he's hardly weighing anything. Then I get on the horse, sitting behind him, to hold him in an upright position and lead the horse out of rivendell, far into the forests at a walk. I don't dare to go any faster at first, scared that I might not be able to hold glorfindel.  
  
But later I notice, that glorfindel is not entirely like a sleeping or fainted person. He's not limp, it's rather as though he knows that he is going on horse-back. His hands entangled themselves in the dark mane of the horse and his body moving in the rhythm of the steps.  
  
He must feel at least something. Something goes from the world out here down into his dream-world, altering whatever he sees.  
  
In the end I dare to gently nudge my horse into a trot, then even into a gallop across a flowery meadow. Glorfindel doesn't seem to be insecure on horse-back, his expression is rather content.  
  
The sun is still burning down when we reach a little stream running through grassland. I slow down to a halt and get of the horse.  
  
'Do you want to get of ?'  
  
'There's water .'  
  
'Mm. It's a stream. Do you want to go there ?'  
  
A little nod. I'm SURE, I'm so blessed sure that he can hear me. That he hears the water splashing over the little pebbles on its bed.  
  
'Okay. I'll help you .'  
  
I gently get him of the horse and hold him up standing.  
  
'C-can you . walk ?'  
  
A moment nothing happens. Then he gingerly takes a step forward, the next one following. He holds on to my arms but he's walking. Oh my god, this is so great. He stops at the banks of the stream.  
  
'Sit down, love ?'  
  
He does it. He gracefully sinks into the grass and remains in a sitting position. I sit down next to him and put my arms around him.  
  
'Can you hear me ?', I ask and look at his open, glazed eyes but he doesn't answer. 'If you can hear me, I want you to know that I love you. I said it before but it might be that you didn't get it anymore. I never wanted to do this to you. . to break your heart.'  
  
A shadow of a smile passes over glorfindel's face.  
  
'Would you wake up for me ? If you still want to be with me, that is .'  
  
It would break my heart to see glorfindel wake up and tell me that he hates me for what I did to him. Because then I would definitely die.  
  
But he doesn't answer. No shivers shaking his beautiful body. He's not even trying. In this moment I actually hope that he wouldn't be able to hear me. If he's able and doesn't try . probably he doesn't want to. Probably he just wants me to care for him the rest of my life.  
  
It's getting later and we both lie on the bank of the stream, the horse grazing somewhere in the shadows. At some point I even led glorfindel down to the water and he touched it, knowing that it's liquid, keeping it in his hands. Now he's shivering again. His breath is irregular and he keeps arching up every now and then. The arching seems to hurt him. He's wincing every time he does it.  
  
I'm just watching it, caressing his hand and waiting for what he wants to tell me this time. But for a long time there is nothing coming forth except whimpers and sighs. It's slowly becoming darker and I watch the sun setting in the west. Glorfindel stopped arching but he's still whimpering as if in pain. I put my arms around him again and suddenly he just falls asleep, his head on my chest, one hand clawing into my tunic. I don't know what this means. Every time he shivered before he wanted to say something. But this time he had remained silent. Had he tried to fight the sleep ? Would it be that ?  
  
I don't move, I don't want to wake him. If necessary, I'm going to stay with him out here all night. It is summer and the nights are warm, nearly as warm as the days. Finally I fall asleep, too, and dream away into a world where I can be happy with glorfindel. It's a wonderful dream and wonderful dreams make me cry because it can never be like that in reality.  
  
I feel him trace my jaw line with his index-finger, play around with my hair and his warm breath on my skin.  
  
'Haldir, what happened ? I feel so tired .'  
  
Wait, this is not a dream, I can REALLY feel it. I snap to attention and my eyes fly open to meet dark, chocolate coloured ones, looking at me. They are not glazed, rather the opposite, shining and wet as if in fever. My voice fails me and I move my lips silently. My heart races and then I just jump up and fling my arms around glorfindel who lies back in the grass with slight choking sound because I'm holding him so tightly.  
  
'Haldir . you . I can't breathe.'  
  
'Are you r-r-really . awake ?', I manage to get out between violent sobs.  
  
'Yes, yes I think so . but I'm tired. And I thought I just woke up. I had a terrible dream .'  
  
I can't explain right now, I'm crying so hard that the tears are dripping down my chin onto glorfindel's shoulders.  
  
'Why are you crying, love ? Please, I would love to see you smile. It seems years ago since you did it the last time.  
  
'I'm so happy . I'm so blessed . you woke up .', I cry letting go of him to look into his eyes. He looks serious.  
  
'What happened ,' he says it so stern that my heart skips a beat. He will hate me for this. Slowly I start explaining what happened and why he is feeling so tired.  
  
'Fifty-one years ?', he asks. 'I've been lying in my room all that time and you've just been hanging around there all the time ?'  
  
'Yes .' I feel like my heart is not beating anymore. Hanging around.  
  
'I'm so sorry. I know you're going to hate me for this.'  
  
'Hate you for this ? How could I ? You've stayed with me in that room for 51 years, you crazy elf, I'm not that important ! How could you waste your time like that !'  
  
'B-because I love you .', I sob. 'Because I loved you all my life. What do you think made me stay ? The nice atmosphere ?'  
  
He looks shocked and at the same time he is smiling with happiness. 'Oh, Haldir . I never knew. I never knew that you still felt the same . I thought it was true that you just had a fling with me. Everybody said so. And I knew that you had been after elrohir, too.'  
  
'B-but for the revenge. I loved you and I still do and I always will! I just want to be with you.'  
  
Glorfindel looks at me with tears in his eyes. 'I'm completely crazy for you. I've been that from the first day I ever saw you. It hit me like a star falling down and I just couldn't forget you through all the years. You were like a diamond lying among the pebbles of a river, like sparkling wine to water, so cute and shy and so passionate and sexy at the same time. How could I not fall for you? I guess you noticed it because I fell into that sleep. I love you. I love you .'  
  
These words are like music in my ears, so sweet and true. I can't resist anymore. I want to kiss him so badly that it is physical pain. I lean forward, our lips connect, and for the first time in all those years he's responding in an instant . He's pushing me back to lie down in the grass and his skilled tongue is parting my lips. I kiss him back, so fiercely that somebody who would have looked on it might get the impression that my life is depending on it.  
  
We stay at the stream for a long time still. Glorfindel is just as eager to be with me as I am to be with him. We roll around in the soft grass and we don't care that it is already damp from the dew. All I care about is that glorfindel finally woke up, that he is all right and that his are locked to mine.  
  
I guess this is the longest time kissing I ever spend. We don't care about the time just about each other. One kiss following another, separated only by short breaks to look in each other's eyes, smile and pant for breath. Sometimes we're gentle sometimes rather passionate and in the end glorfindel goes completely crazy and starts screaming about loving me. I bet all the elves in rivendell heard him hollering but again I don't care. I even appreciate it. All Middle-Earth can know that we are in love until the end of all time.  
  
When the night has fallen we get back on the horse and ride back to rivendell.  
  
'You know, it is like waking. You are waking in a completely dark place and the air around you feels like gooey jelly. You can't move or do anything. Not even think. You're just bidding your time. I thought it was a horrible dream.'  
  
'Could . could you hear me ?'  
  
'Sometimes. And sometimes I thought I heard legolas.'  
  
'He was with me all the time .'  
  
'He's still in rivendell ?'  
  
'Yes. He took care of all your charges. And I was jealous when he talked to you.'  
  
'That's why it felt so bad for me when legolas spoke to me, I guess.'  
  
'You felt bad when I felt bad or hurt or jealous. When I felt any negative feeling .'  
  
'Yes, I think so. But in the last time you were encouraged to do new things. And so I was. And I started fighting the tiredness. I was so proud when I said your name.'  
  
'I was weeping when you said my name. I finally knew that you know I'm there.'  
  
'Do you think I will fall back into that sleep once I let myself sleep ?'  
  
'Does your heart still feel broken ?'  
  
'No. You love me. That's all that matters to me.'  
  
'So why should you sleep the sleep of a broken hearted ?'  
  
'Oh. I didn't think about that. It was just so horrid. I never ever want to be feeling like that again. So don't you leave me, haldir of lorién .'  
  
'Don't worry. I'm your elf for all the time you want me to be.'  
  
'How about forever ?', he asks in a silky whisper.  
  
'Sounds great, love .'  
  
When I wake up the next morning my first fear is that it was all just a dream. It was a wonderful dream then. I could live with glorfindel all my life after all we discussed . and all the sweet confessions we made. I turn around to look at glorfindel who is sleeping peacefully on his side, facing me. His lips are cherry-red from all the kisses, his hair tangled because I clawed my hands into it when he made love to me in the night and his eyes look slightly shadowed from a short nights' sleep.  
  
I kiss him on the forehead and he stirs.  
  
'Hmm mmm. Not already.'  
  
'Morning, my love. Rise and shine, do you remember ?'  
  
'As though it was yesterday.'  
  
'Let's get up and show all those elves down there that you woke up again. Lord elrond will be thrilled. And everybody else, too. Come on, let's go.'  
  
'Okay. I'm getting up. And I'll go down with you, too. But just to show everyone that you are my elf. Forever.'  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------~*~----- ----------------------------------------------------------------- 


	13. Ending 2 : Close Your Eyes

So. The second ending. I just wrote it because I'm so reluctant to start a new story or a sequel.  
  
People who think that Glorfindel & Haldir should remain a couple, please read the previous chapter. Thank You.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------~*~--- ------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
'You know ? How do you know I do ? I never told you !'  
  
'I would be blind if I wouldn't see.'  
  
'But . but .'  
  
'Don't worry ,' legolas says. 'That doesn't mean you don't love glorfindel. I believe you love him. But that doesn't mean you can keep yourself from liking other elves, too.'  
  
'Well, I guess you're right. I said it and I mean it.'  
  
'And you know very well why I stayed here.'  
  
'Because of me ?'  
  
'Yes. Because of you. I can't take it how you waste your time on glorfindel's bedside.'  
  
'I love him !' Do I ?  
  
'I know that. You told me often enough. But he won't wake up ! No one ever woke up. No one !'  
  
Tears are flooding into my eyes. I can't take the sound of the truth.  
  
'And hypothetically : IF he would wake up, do you think he'd love you ? You BROKE his heart. He's not going to fall into your arms again.'  
  
More tears streaming and I can't keep them back. I don't even want to keep them back anymore. I jump from the horse and start to run away. I know it's childish and I can't avoid seeing the truth one day but I can't stand the sound of those cruel words.  
  
I stumble into the forest and legolas is calling me to come back.  
  
'Haldir, come back. I didn't mean . I didn't mean to hurt you. Please!'  
  
I don't listen. I just want to get away from those words that make my heart feel dead and empty. I run like hunted deer through the endless forest and I can here the hoof-beats of legolas' horse behind me. Finally I fall down in the shadows of a weeping willow and feel too shattered to move. I would never have guessed that I could run like that after doing nothing but sitting by glorfindel's bedside for half a century.  
  
I'm still panting for breath when legolas rudely brings the horse to a halt next to me. I try to get up and run for it again but my legs don't obey and give in under my weight, causing me to fall again.  
  
Legolas is falling to his knees and flings his arms around me.  
  
'Haldir, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry . I didn't mean it. I just . just don't want you to perish with him. You are much too precious to just fade away in a little room on his bedside.'  
  
I allow the embrace and weep silently on his shoulder. 'But I love him, don't you understand ?' Yes, I say I love him. But what does that mean to me ? Sitting on his bedside for the rest of my wretched life ? The words are empty to me.  
  
'Of course. Do you think I've never been in love ? Love can be cruel and hurt like hell but you will never get over the loss if you hide from the world.'  
  
I look at him and his sapphire blue eyes burn into my hazel ones. 'Promise me that you won't stay with him tomorrow.'  
  
'I - I c-can't. There is nothing I could do instead.'  
  
'Just suggest something and I'll be glad to accompany you .'  
  
'Really ?'  
  
'Yes. You know that my work is not that interesting, so I would take a day off and we'd walk somewhere, for example.'  
  
'But you let me be with him tonight ?'  
  
Legolas sighs. 'Yes, I'll let you be with him. IF you suggest something for us to do.'  
  
'Just me and you ?  
  
'We can take elladan and elrohir with us if you want to.'  
  
Do I want that ? No, I want to go with legolas only.  
  
'No. I wanted to have them watching over glorfindel.'  
  
'The lucky guys ,' says legolas sarcastically.  
  
I don't say anything. He will never understand. And I won't force him to.  
  
'You know the lake down by the stream ?'  
  
'Mm. But it's hardly an hour to walk there. Do you really need to be back that badly ?'  
  
'Actually I thought we could go swimming. What do you think ?'  
  
There is utter surprise in legolas gorgeous blue eyes. 'Swimming ? Just me and you ?'  
  
'Well, that's what you suggested. And ? Are we going ?'  
  
'Yes. Of course, if you want to.'  
  
Since I started thinking about it the idea got better every second. It is going to be great to swim again and feel the clear water of the lake on my skin. To get out of that room. Certainly, glorfindel's room was magnificient but after fifty years of being in there some of the splendor had worn of. It is so great to be outside with no ceiling and no walls keeping you in.  
  
'Yes. Yes, I really want to. I just noticed how I missed to be outside.'  
  
Legolas looks at me. There's fire in his eyes. Blue flames or waves. 'I bet you missed this, too.'  
  
He leans over to me and kisses me gently on the mouth, pulling back than. I'm speechless.  
  
'It's not as bad as I thought. You didn't hit me .'  
  
'No. No, it was okay,' I say hastily and surpress the urge to touch my lips.  
  
'Well, I guess we better get going, we are pretty far from rivendell because you had to run a little while to get rid of some unwanted feelings, hm ?'  
  
'I'm sorry .'  
  
'No need to be sorry. I just said, we'd better get going.'  
  
The way back is different from the time before. I feel confused because of that little peck on the mouth that legolas gave me. It feels strange to hold on to him on the horse but I try to hide that my mind is reeling by talking about easy, normal topics. Not about glorfindel, either.  
  
Thinking about him makes me guilty. But why ? I didn't do anything. Or is it because I actually *liked* what legolas did ? And if, we are friends, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Mind, calm down, it was nothing that would make glorfindel even jealous.  
  
When we reach the stable and the horse has been taken away, legolas looks at me with his cutest, big bambi-eyes.  
  
'You want to ask me something, I gather ,' I say and he displays the matching 'cutest-smile' in return.  
  
'Come to dinner with me. Please.'  
  
I feel my brow furrowing. He said he's let me go back to glorfindel. Legolas still looks at me.  
  
'Please. Please, please, please .', he begs. 'Just have an hour and you're free. PLEASE !' He flutters his lashes in a begging sort of way that looks rather suggestively to me.  
  
'Okay. Right, then. I guess you have never anybody giving you the big E , huh ?'  
  
'Not all that often . Come on.'  
  
He drags me towards the halls and into the dining hall. I know it was a bad idea to go with him. I meet a lot of old friends and can't stop talking and even worse, I don't want to stop. Everybody has to tell something interesting and my mind absorbs everything greedily, just like a dry sponge. All of those elves are asking how glorfindel feels and I tell tem apart from sleeping all the time he'd be fine.  
  
Legolas is close to me all the time as if to protect me if I got too much. But I can't. All that chat reminds me of the time when I used to be down here every day.  
  
It's getting late and after four hours and a respectable amount of emptied wine glasses, legolas takes me to glorfindel's room. The world is swaying slightly and legolas holds me in case I'm going to fall.  
  
'Did you see elrond's face when you came to talk to him ?', legolas asks laughing.  
  
'I guess he was shocked to see I'm still alive ,' I say.  
  
We reach the door of glorfindel's room. Legolas presses me rather fiercely against it and looks into my eyes.  
  
'Promise you'll be there.'  
  
'I - I promise.' I got the hiccups because I was drinking so much wine and I'm not used to alcohol.  
  
'Good night, legolas.'  
  
Legolas suddenly flings himself forward and kisses my lips again, a few times, one kiss shortly after the other. 'Sweet dreams, haldir.'  
  
Then he turns around and leaves me even more confused than I was before. I enter glorfindel's room and find him sleeping peacefully, as always.  
  
I take a while looking out of the window dreaming away before I get into bed.  
  
I'm looking at glorfindel lying there, quietly and feel guilty again. I start to brush and braid his hair to distract myself of exactly HOW guilty I feel. Glorfindel is so beautiful and I love him. But he's sleeping and he'll be like that forever. I have to get over him sooner or later. But it's too early. It's way too early.  
  
'I'm sorry, love. I know I promised I'd be back sooner but I was kept. . And what I really need you to know because I feel horribly guilty is that legolas kissed me today. Nothing so special but I guess I needed to say it.'  
  
The sound of the words gives me the chills deep down in my stomach. Legolas kissed me.  
  
Why ? Why ? Because he pities me. He just wants me to think about something else than glorfindel all the time. And that really succeeded. There is another feeling, deep down where I usually don't care to store anything. I anticipate to go swimming with legolas tomorrow. I'm getting excited while I'm thinking about it. I tell myself that it is normal to anticipate going out after all the years inside. It's not because of legolas, anyway.  
  
In the morning I'm collecting my things to go out. Glorfindel smiles and is obviously content when the twins arrive to watch over him. I don't know why I need somebody to watch over him but it just feels better if he's not alone. Actually, I'm feeling less guilty if he's not alone.  
  
'So, we just sit and watch this sleeping beauty, right ,' elladan inquires.  
  
'Right. Just that. Not more.'  
  
'Why ?'  
  
'I won't tell you. Just watch him.'  
  
'Okay. Don't be such a grouch. We'll watch your precious lord glorfindel.'  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
'Where are you going anyway? You've not been out a long time !'  
  
'I'm going to swim. We're walking to the lake.'  
  
'WE ?', elladan asks curiously. 'You and who ?'  
  
'Legolas and I .'  
  
Both elladan and elrohir dissolve in a laughing-fit.  
  
'What ? WHAT ??? Did I miss something ?'  
  
'So he finally got you to be attracted to him ?'  
  
'No. What are you talking about ?', I ask, stunned.  
  
'Don't tell me you don't know! He's head over heels in love with you, trust me. That's why he makes all that effort, what did you think, you innocent little guardian ?'  
  
'You sure ?' I think my heart just skipped a few beats. He's in love with me ?  
  
'Dead sure . You'll see. Did he never try to get close to you ?'  
  
The look on my face must have told him the answer.  
  
'Well, there you go.'  
  
'Oh my god.'  
  
'Well, nothing to be afraid of. Glorfindel won't mind, believe me. He has us to watch over him. Now go ahead and have some fun.'  
  
He shoves me out the door. I cast a last look a glorfindel in his death- like sleep and turn around to meet legolas in the garden.  
  
On my way a lot of elves say hello or just wave to me from afar. It feels good. Yesterday they were all staring so curiously but now I got them back on my side.  
  
Legolas is already waiting for my, sitting on a bench under a linden tree. I'm watching him from some way of. He looks beautiful in the sunlight, his golden hair glittering and the slender body relaxing in the warm rays. He smiles when I finally walk over to him.  
  
'You're late, guardian.'  
  
'Excuse me. I had some trouble with the twins. They wouldn't understand that glorfindel needs to be watched.'  
  
'Well, I don't understand that. What do you fear ? That he falls off the bed ?'  
  
'I don't know. There can always be something.'  
  
'Yes, right. Come on, let's start out before the best time to lie in the sun is over .'  
  
'You're going to lie in the sun ?'  
  
'Of course. No swimming without sun-bathing before. What did you think ?'  
  
'I'm going to watch you from my place in the shadow.'  
  
'I don't think so. I will force you to sun-bathe. You're so pale anyway.'  
  
I guess I can't say no if he gives me the bambi-eyes. And I actually know he will if I refuse. So why refuse ? Because that's my nature.  
  
The walk to the lake is relaxing already. At some times legolas just slips his arm around my waist while he's walking next to me as if it would be the most natural thing in this world and I allow the touch. We talk about little nothings, he obviously trying not to rip my clothes of and make love to me right where we fall into the grass, me trying not to give him encouraging looks.  
  
'I think we are nearly there, and you ? I can here the water splashing.'  
  
'Do you think there'll be a lot of people there ?', I ask, just to keep the conversation going.  
  
'No. My guess is nobody. There are few who now that this lake is here. They spend their days in rivendell rather walking in the forests than actually walking across a meadow into that valley. They can't even see the lake from the forest.'  
  
'So we're the only ones there ?'  
  
'I suppose so. Are you uncomfortable with that?'  
  
No, actually not. A tingling feeling is running down my spine. I really think it's not a bad idea to be alone. Not everybody needs to see me with him.  
  
'No. I'm fine. Why shouldn't I ?' I'm giving him an honest smile and he seems relieved.  
  
'No. I just thought . nothing .'  
  
'Well, that's nothing new ,' I answer teasingly.  
  
'Haha. You're so funny.'  
  
'Ain't that the truth .'  
  
'And vain .'  
  
'I know. But don't tell me you're not .'  
  
'And if ?', he asks smiling.  
  
'I wouldn't believe you. I do at least admit it .'  
  
'Well, you are beautiful anyway.'  
  
'Thanks. You are, too. I guess you know that. Or somebody already told you.'  
  
'No. Not that I would recall. I really think you're the first one to ever tell me I'm beautiful.'  
  
'Then let me correct myself. I'd rather say you're gorgeous.'  
  
'Really ?'  
  
'Really.' Am I flirting with him ? Even though I'm in love with glorfindel ? He would never forgive me if he knew that I'm talking to the prince of mirkwood like this.  
  
Legolas blushes anyway and attempts a smile. 'Thank you.'  
  
'Now, let's hurry up. I really want to go swimming and you need to lie in the sun, don't you ?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
And I really have to stop looking into those eyes or I'm going to give in to a feeling that I thought dead. Better, which I thought was impossible for me to feel again. To fall in love.  
  
We reach the lake and there is really nobody there. The soft grass at the bank just waits for an elf to lie down on it and take the desired sunbath.  
  
'Wow, I forgot how nice this place really is.'  
  
'You forgot a lot during the last years .' I can practically hear him think : And I'll make you recall it.  
  
'Well, take your sun bath. I'll wait for you under this nice willow.'  
  
'No, you are not .'  
  
He just grabs me and carries me down to the banks of the lake.  
  
'Hey, don't do that .'  
  
'Do what ?'  
  
'Don't carry me !'  
  
'Why not ? And I'll let you down now. Don't whine.'  
  
He really let me down to take his sun bath with him and just starts to take his cloth of until only a kind of loincloth remained. I feel dizzy. His body is just as gorgeous as I thought.  
  
Wait, I did think about his body before ? Yes, I did. And I imagined it just like this. Practically in the raw.  
  
'Now, don't you want to take your clothes off ?'  
  
'What ? - Oh, yes, of course.'  
  
Legolas sprawls himself in the grass and closes his eyes against the sun. I hesitantly start to take the clothes off.  
  
'Need help ?' legolas asks lazily.  
  
'Nah, thanks, I'll manage.'  
  
Legolas opens one eye to look at me. 'Sure ?' Then his breath catches. 'By Valar !'  
  
'What is it ?', I ask knowing very well that my body is not in a bad shape, either.  
  
Suddenly legolas seems rather nervous and fidgets around with his hands.  
  
'You wanted me to take a sun bath, didn't you ?'  
  
'Y-Yes, but I didn't think .'  
  
'That I look THIS good ?' I just couldn't keep it back. Bad Haldir !  
  
Legolas swallows hard. 'Yes. This is like WOW ! . Sorry,' he adds quickly.  
  
'No. I'm fine with compliments. I actually like them.'  
  
I lie down in the grass. It tickles my back and I smile and close my eyes. I can feel legolas eyes travel over my skin, lingering here and there. And, too right, when I open my eyes he is still staring at me, all mesmerized.  
  
I do think that he does look drop-dead sexy, too, but I keep it to myself. No need telling him, he's already nervous enough.  
  
'What about your sun bath, legolas ?'  
  
'I . I guess I better go swimming first .'  
  
'Okay. I'll come along. I don't need to loiter here alone.'  
  
'Sure ?'  
  
'Why not ? You just thought nothing ? Forget it. I'm coming. I suggested this, didn't I ?'  
  
'Yes. Okay. I didn't want to keep you from it.'  
  
We both get up and I jump into the cold water with a splash, all at once. It's cold, but not so cold that I'd get a heart-attack of just jumping in. Legolas stands near the banks the water reaching up to his ankles. Spectacular, I'll say. What a softie.  
  
'Come on ! It's not that cold ,' I call but legolas only pouts cutely.  
  
'That's what you say ! I think it's pretty cold !'  
  
'Softie !'  
  
'I'm not ,' he yells.  
  
I'm wading through the water. 'I'll show you !' Glorfindel might never forgive me but I just have to do this. I splash up the water to make it run over my skin and then press my cold and wet body to legolas'. He whimpers and tilts his head back.  
  
'See ? It's not that cold !', I whisper in a purring kind of voice and give legolas time to feel.  
  
'Ahh, don't let go .'  
  
Of course I let go. 'Come deeper into the water with me.'  
  
Gingerly legolas takes one step after the other until he finally stands in the water to his collarbones. I'm diving around in the deep crystal clear water and scare some fish that cross my way.  
  
Every now and then I get up to get some air and to check if legolas is still in the water. He is. Every time I check he's standing right where he stood all the time, like an alabaster-statue.  
  
But suddenly, after I just checked once again I see a swish of golden hair close to me. I whirl around and see legolas diving pretty close to me, smiling and coming closer still. I smile as well and legolas wraps his arms around me, his skin feeling warm in the cold water. I'm not trying to escape. This is far too romantic to ruin it by struggling against his embrace. He combs his fingers through my floating silver hair, then he lets them run down the back of my neck. It feels better than I would ever have hoped. There is only one thing that is missing here . I look into legolas deep blue eyes and he closes the distance between our lips to an inch.  
  
Oh, come on. Just does it, this waiting is so terrible. Please.  
  
And then he does it. Our lips meet ever so gently and I see legolas closing his eyes. Oh my god he's going to try it . I feel a hot shiver running all through my body when legolas tongue runs along my upper lip asking for entrance. My eyes flutter shut and of course I part my lips at the softest touch and let the kiss happen. It brings rush of cold water into my mouth, too, but I don't really care.  
  
Finally I push up causing us to float to the surface where we both pant for breath. I drift away until my feet touch the ground and give him a very very suggestive come-hither look and legolas licks his lips.  
  
'Why are you doing this ?', he asks with still slightly ragged breath.  
  
'Because I want to.'  
  
The answer seems to be good enough for his taste. He swims over to me and resumes what he started underwater. I gladly join in to quite a number of sweet kisses in the cold water. Legolas knows what he does there, who could resist this elf's french kissing ? Well, I know this much : I can't.  
  
We are hardly out of the water and in the soft warm grass when the little remains of clothes are cast to the ground. My mind is screaming for a while : Don't do this, you nerd, what will glorfindel ever think of this ? But I decide not to listen and to rather pay attention to legolas tending to my in anticipation writhing body.  
  
Damn it, I can't help it, I can't say Stop now, it just feels far too blessed good. I'm just an elf, I can't help anymore that I'm ending up with legolas making love to me on the banks and in the water as well. And hell, it's just what I want and to say it bluntly what I need, too. Fifty years without the slightest touch of someone who loves me is not a really short time.  
  
Luckily there seem to be no other elves around, neither on the lake nor in the near forests because legolas and I, of course, can't keep ourselves too quiet. It's wonderful and also kinda mawkish to lie with legolas in the romantic surrounding and the summer-sun on my skin. I guess, this is way better than sun bathing, anyway.  
  
I suppose it's the longest time I ever stayed at this lake. And the most beautiful, too. When the sun starts sinking behind the trees of the forest I lie snuggled up to legolas and recover from the days events of the day.  
  
'Haldir ,' asks legolas timidly.  
  
'Hmm ?'  
  
'I know that this will probably shock you out of your wits but I just have said it.' He sounds sad.  
  
I raise my head to look at him. 'Okay. Go ahead .'  
  
Legolas draws a deep shuddering breath. 'I'm in love with you .' It's nearly a question and his voice is so shaky that I hardly understand him.  
  
'I know ,' I say.  
  
'You . you know ? But, wait ? Why did you do this if you knew that it would be more than a fling for me ?'  
  
I twist his golden-blond hair around my fingers. 'How do you know that it is just a fling to me ?'  
  
Legolas' blue eyes go big and he looks at me in mingled disbelief and happiness. 'Really ? It's more ?'  
  
'Really really .'  
  
'What does that mean ?'  
  
'It means . it means that I was falling in love with you in the last time and I guess now I ended up actually being in love with you .' My voice trailed off. But it was true. There was no guilty feeling inside me, nothing that would remember me of glorfindel in this moment. I hear legolas sigh and then he kisses me gently.  
  
'Let's go home, love. It's starting to be dark.'  
  
Love. It sounds so good. Great. I would love to hear it again but I feel it too childish a thing to ask him to repeat it. Probably it is just so sweet because people don't say it all that often. At least if they are talking to me. Belike, it becomes like every other word once it wears out.  
  
'No. Not now. I don't want to go back already !'  
  
'Yes, come on . Elladan and Elrohir will start to be bored with their job by now ,' legolas says smiling.  
  
'Oh. Okay. If you think so.'  
  
We walk back to rivendell holding hands. The sun is sinking blood red behind the trees and nearly blinds my eyes. Legolas looks at me with his huge blue eyes.  
  
'Love you.' he whispers, those eyes flickering.  
  
'Love you, too .' There, I said it. It takes me two days to fall for legolas. Does this mean anything ? Probably that I should have started to get over glorfindel long ago.  
  
When we enter rivendell, elladan and elrohir come dashing up, meeting us halfway.  
  
'Know what ?', shouts elladan excitedly.  
  
'No. But I'd bet a few good horses that you're gonna tell me any time soon ,' I answer.  
  
Elladan pretends to be very secretive. 'I don't know if I should actually tell you .'  
  
'Elrond found a potion to make glorfindel wake up ,' elrohir blurts out and elladan shoots him a very disapproving look.  
  
'Really ?', I ask incredously.  
  
'Yes ,' confirms elladan. 'It's true. But there is also bad news for you .'  
  
'Go ahead, it won't kill me .' Probably it won't. It will just make me so jealous. So jealous.  
  
'Well, as you broke Glorfindel's heart, he won't be in love with you after he came to .'  
  
'Yes. It's okay. It's not that bad.'  
  
'I see ,' elladan smiles. 'You know, I thought it was good that you go out with legolas.'  
  
'Me too ,' I say. 'Or I would be grieving to death right now.'  
  
'It will take him only a few days to wake. Lord Elrond came to take care of him himself. To make sure no one but him might screw the whole process up.'  
  
'Well, do you think, you can let me know about it as soon as glorfindel wakes ?'  
  
'Of course. Don't worry, usually lord elrond knows what he does.'  
  
'We gotta go now,' says elladan with a look at legolas and me. 'I guess you need some privacy still .' And with a swish of their grey elven-cloaks they vanish between the trees.  
  
'I told you, everything will be all right ,' legolas whispers.  
  
'I still have time to learn to trust you .'  
  
'All the ages of the world if you only want to ,' he says and smiles cutely. 'Otherwise I'll make you stay with me.'  
  
'Don't worry. I'm all yours. Promised.'  
  
'Promised, sealed and accepted ,' legolas replies, the smile widening. 'Let's go and spend some quality time.'  
  
'Okay. I see, our minds sometimes work the very same way. I just worked on a strategy to get you to our room.'  
  
'Well, don't waste time then. I don't wanna lose one second with you .'  
  
I give him a look and he knows I feel the same. He takes my hand and we walk into rivendell, finally a couple after all the confusion. 


End file.
